Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Lullaby boat

Come Sail Away: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Styx

  • C major
  • 6/8
  • 90 BPM
  • 1977
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Swelling 6/8Right hand Hammock chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Come Sail Away without reading music. The left hand plays swelling 6/8 (open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8)) and the right hand hammock chords.

The bass riff of Come Sail Away in letter notes

The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Dm7
RC4+F4+A4 C4+F4+A4 C4+F4+A4 C4+F4+A4
LC2 C3 F3 A3 F3 C3
Bar 2
Em7
RD4+G4
LC2 D3 G3 B3 G3 D3
Bar 3
Dm7
RC4+F4+A4 C4+F4+A4 C4+F4+A4 C4+F4+A4
LC2 C3 F3 A3 F3 C3
Bar 4
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC2 C3 E3 G3 E3 C3

Come Sail Away accompaniment in letter notes

The Dm7 – Em7 – Dm7 – C loop with swelling 6/8 in the left hand and hammock chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Dm7
RA4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5
LD2 A2 D3 F3 D3 A2
Bar 2
Em7
RB4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5
LE2 B2 E3 G3 E3 B2
Bar 3
Dm7
RA4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5
LD2 A2 D3 F3 D3 A2
Bar 4
C
RG4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 E4 G4 C5 E5 G5 C6
LC3 G3 C4 E4 C4 G3
Bar 5
Dm7
RA4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5
LD2 A2 D3 F3 D3 A2
Bar 6
Em7
RB4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5
LE2 B2 E3 G3 E3 B2
Bar 7
Dm7
RA4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5
LD2 A2 D3 F3 D3 A2
Bar 8
C
RG4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5
LC3 G3 C4 E4 C4 G3

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

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Questions about Come Sail Away

What are the letter notes for the Come Sail Away piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is Dm7 – Em7 – Dm7 – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Come Sail Away?

The loop is Dm7 – Em7 – Dm7 – C (ii7 – iii7 – ii7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Come Sail Away in?

C major, at about 90 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in Come Sail Away?

Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Come Sail Away easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Come Sail Away?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the bass riff of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.