Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Waltz garden

Happy Birthday To You: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill

  • F major
  • 3/4
  • 120 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Waltz rootsThe right hand sings the tuneChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Happy Birthday To You without reading music. The left hand plays waltz roots (root bass · 3/4 quarters), and the right hand sings the tune.

The opening of Happy Birthday To You 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
F
RC4 C4
Lrest
Bar 2
F
RC4+F4+C5 A4 A3+C4+F4
LA2 F2
Bar 3
Bb
RG3+C4+E4 F3+Bb3+D4 D4+F4+Bb4 Bb4
LBb2 Bb1 Bb2
Bar 4
F → C7
RC4+F4+A4 A3+C4+F4 Bb3+E4+G4
LC3 C2

Happy Birthday To You accompaniment in letter notes

The F – F – Bb – F – C7 loop with waltz roots in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
F
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F3 F3
Bar 2
F
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F3 F3
Bar 3
Bb
RBb3+D4+F4
LBb2 Bb3 Bb3
Bar 4
F → C7
RF4+A4+C5 F4 A4 C5 F5 A5 C6 F6 A6
LF2 F3 C4
Bar 5
F
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F3 F3
Bar 6
F
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F3 F3
Bar 7
Bb
RBb3+D4+F4
LBb2 Bb3 Bb3
Bar 8
F → C7
RF4+A4+C5 C4+E4+G4
LF2 F3 C4

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 Happy Birthday To You

What are the letter notes for the Happy Birthday To You 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 F – F – Bb – F – C7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Happy Birthday To You?

The loop is F – F – Bb – F – C7 (I – IV – I – V7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on F – C7 – F.

What key is Happy Birthday To You in?

F major, at about 120 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in Happy Birthday To You?

Waltz roots: root bass · 3/4 quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Happy Birthday To You easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 5 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Happy Birthday To You?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the opening 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.