Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Grandfather’s Clock: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Artist unknown

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Popcorn bounceRight hand Late-knock chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Grandfather’s Clock without reading music. The left hand plays popcorn bounce (broken chord 5-12) and the right hand late-knock chords.

Grandfather’s Clock accompaniment in letter notes

The G – D7 – G – C loop with popcorn bounce in the left hand and late-knock chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LD3 D4 D3 D4 D3 D4 D3 D4
Bar 2
D7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LA2 A3 A2 A3 A2 A3 A2 A3
Bar 3
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LD3 D4 D3 D4 D3 D4 D3 D4
Bar 4
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4 G4 C5 E5 G5 C6 E6 G6
LG3 G4 G3 G4 G3 G4 G3 G4
Bar 5
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LD3 D4 D3 D4 D3 D4 D3 D4
Bar 6
D7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LA2 A3 A2 A3 A2 A3 A2 A3
Bar 7
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LD3 D4 D3 D4 D3 D4 D3 D4
Bar 8
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LG3 G4 G3 G4 G3 G4 G3 G4

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 Grandfather’s Clock

What are the letter notes for the Grandfather’s Clock 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 – D7 – G – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Grandfather’s Clock?

The loop is G – D7 – G – C (I – V7 – I – IV) in G major, and the song ends on G – D7 – G.

What key is Grandfather’s Clock in?

G major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Grandfather’s Clock?

Popcorn bounce: broken chord 5-12, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Grandfather’s Clock 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.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.