Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

Happy Holiday: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Irving Berlin

  • Bb major
  • 4/4
  • 140 BPM
  • 1941
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Oom-pahRight hand Soft chordsChords 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 Holiday without reading music. The left hand plays oom-pah (bass + chords) and the right hand soft chords.

The main tune of Happy Holiday 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
Cm7 → F7
RA3+D4+Eb4 F4 F4
LC2 F1
Bar 2
Dbm7 → Cm7
RFb4+Bbb4 Bbb4 Eb4+G4 A4
LDb3+Cb3 C3+Bb3
Bar 3
D7 → G7
RC4+F4+Bb4 B3+C#4+F4 D4 D4
LD3 F#3 G2+F3
Bar 4
Cm7 → F7
RD4+F4 F4 Eb4 A3+B3 C4+C4
LC3+Bb3 F2+Eb3

Happy Holiday accompaniment in letter notes

The Cm7 – F7 – Dbm7 – Cm7 – D7 – G7 – Cm7 – F7 loop with oom-pah in the left hand and soft chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Cm7 → F7
RG4+C5+Eb5 C5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5
LC3 Eb3+G3 A2+C3 A2+C3
Bar 2
Dbm7 → Cm7
RAb4+Db5+Fb5 G4+C5+Eb5 G4+C5+Eb5
LDb3 Fb3+Ab3 Eb3+G3 Eb3+G3
Bar 3
D7 → G7
RA4+D5+F#5 D5+G5+B5 D5+G5+B5
LD2 F#2+A2 B2+D3 B2+D3
Bar 4
Cm7 → F7
RG4+C5+Eb5 F6 Eb6 C6 A5 G5 Gb5 F5 E5
LC3 Eb3+G3 A2+C3 A2+C3
Bar 5
Cm7 → F7
RG4+C5+Eb5 C5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5
LC3 Eb3+G3 A2+C3 A2+C3
Bar 6
Dbm7 → Cm7
RAb4+Db5+Fb5 G4+C5+Eb5 G4+C5+Eb5
LDb3 Fb3+Ab3 Eb3+G3 Eb3+G3
Bar 7
D7 → G7
RA4+D5+F#5 D5+G5+B5 D5+G5+B5
LD2 F#2+A2 B2+D3 B2+D3
Bar 8
Cm7 → F7
RG4+C5+Eb5 C5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5
LC3 Eb3+G3 A2+C3 A2+C3

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 Holiday

What are the letter notes for the Happy Holiday 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 Cm7 – F7 – Dbm7 – Cm7 – D7 – G7 – Cm7 – F7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Happy Holiday?

The loop is Cm7 – F7 – Dbm7 – Cm7 – D7 – G7 – Cm7 – F7 (ii7 – V7 – biii7 – ii7 – III7 – VI7 – ii7 – V7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Happy Holiday in?

Bb major, at about 140 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Happy Holiday?

Oom-pah: bass + chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Happy Holiday 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 Happy Holiday?

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

Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.