Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Down Under: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Colin Hay & Ron Strykert
- D major
- 4/4
- 105 BPM
- 1982
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
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 Down Under without reading music. The left hand plays walking roots (root bass · quarters) and the right hand offbeat skank.
The main tune of Down Under 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.
Down Under accompaniment in letter notes
The D – A – Bm – A7 – D – A – Bm – A7 loop with walking roots in the left hand and offbeat skank in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
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 Down Under
What are the letter notes for the Down Under 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 D – A – Bm – A7 – D – A – Bm – A7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Down Under?
The loop is D – A – Bm – A7 – D – A – Bm – A7 (I – V – vi – V7 – I – V – vi – V7) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Down Under in?
D major, at about 105 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Down Under?
Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Down Under easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 8 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Down Under?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.