Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Rock drive

Cool: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Leonard Bernstein

  • D major
  • 4/4
  • 105 BPM
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Engine 8thsThe right hand sings the tuneChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Cool without reading music. The left hand plays engine 8ths (root bass · 8ths), and the right hand sings the tune.

The intro of Cool 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
G
RC#4 B3 A3
LG2+D3 G2+D3 G2+D3 G2+D3 G2+D3 G2+D3 G2+D3 G2+D3
Bar 2
A7
RC#5 B4 A4 G4 F#4
LA2+G3 A2+G3 A2+G3 A2+G3 A2+G3 A2+G3 A2+G3 A2+G3
Bar 3
D
RC#4 D4 E4
LD3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3
Bar 4
D
RC#4 D4 E4
LD3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3

Cool accompaniment in letter notes

The G – A7 – D – D loop with engine 8ths in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G
RG4+B4+D5
LG2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 2
A7
RA3+C#4+E4
LA2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2
Bar 3
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 4
D
RD4+F#4+A4 A6 F#6 D6 A5 F#5 F5 E5 Eb5
LD2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 5
G
RG4+B4+D5
LG2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 6
A7
RA3+C#4+E4
LA2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2 A2
Bar 7
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 8
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2

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 Cool

What are the letter notes for the Cool 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 G – A7 – D – D, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Cool?

The loop is G – A7 – D – D (IV – V7 – I – IV) in D major, and the song ends on G – A7 – D.

What key is Cool in?

D major, at about 105 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Cool?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Cool 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 Cool?

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

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