Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Fragile: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Sting

  • E minor
  • 4/4
  • 90 BPM
  • 1987
  • Easy
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Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Bouncy-ball chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Fragile without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)) and the right hand bouncy-ball chords.

The main tune of Fragile 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
C
RC4+E4+A4 G4 C4+E4+A4 G4
LC3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 2
B
RB3+D#4+G4 F#4 B3+D#4+G4 F#4
LB2 B2 B2 B2
Bar 3
Em
RB3+E4+G4 F#4 F#4 G3+B3+E4 F#4
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 4
Em
RB3+E4+G4 F#4 F#4 G3+B3+E4
LE2 E2 E2 E2

Fragile accompaniment in letter notes

The C – B – Em – Em loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand and bouncy-ball chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C
RG4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 2
B
RF#4+B4+D#5 F#4+B4+D#5 F#4+B4+D#5 F#4+B4+D#5 F#4+B4+D#5
LB2 B2 B2
Bar 3
Em
RB4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5
LE2 E2 E2
Bar 4
Em
RB4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 D4 E4 F#4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5
LE2 E2 E2
Bar 5
C
RG4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 6
B
RF#4+B4+D#5 F#4+B4+D#5 F#4+B4+D#5 F#4+B4+D#5 F#4+B4+D#5
LB2 B2 B2
Bar 7
Em
RB4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5
LE2 E2 E2
Bar 8
Em
RB4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5
LE2 E2 E2

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 Fragile

What are the letter notes for the Fragile 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 C – B – Em – Em, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Fragile?

The loop is C – B – Em – Em (VI – V – i – VI) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.

What key is Fragile in?

E minor, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Fragile?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Fragile easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Fragile?

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.