Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Happy: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Pharrell

  • F minor
  • 4/4
  • 156 BPM
  • 2013
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Skipping-stone pulseRight hand Steady chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 without reading music. The left hand plays skipping-stone pulse (root bass · 1 · 2& · 3&) and the right hand steady chords.

The main tune of Happy 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
RF4+A4 C5 C5 F4+A4+Eb5
LF2 F2 F2 F3
Bar 2
Db
RF5 F5 F4+Ab4+F5 F5 F5 F4+Ab4 G5
LDb2 Db2 Db2 Ab2 Db3 Ab2
Bar 3
Cm → C
REb5 G4+C5 Eb5 C5 G4+C5
LC2 C2 C2 G2 C3
Bar 4
C
RF5 Eb5 G4+C5+F5 F5 G4+C5+Eb5 F5
LC2 C2 C2 G2 C3 G2

Happy accompaniment in letter notes

The F – Db – Cm – C – C loop with skipping-stone pulse in the left hand and steady chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F2
Bar 2
Db
RF4+Ab4+Db5 F4+Ab4+Db5 F4+Ab4+Db5 F4+Ab4+Db5
LDb3 Db3 Db3
Bar 3
Cm → C
REb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 4
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 Eb4 F4 G4 Ab4 Bb4 C5 Db5 Eb5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 5
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F2
Bar 6
Db
RF4+Ab4+Db5 F4+Ab4+Db5 F4+Ab4+Db5 F4+Ab4+Db5
LDb3 Db3 Db3
Bar 7
Cm → C
REb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 8
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 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

What are the letter notes for the Happy 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 – Db – Cm – C – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Happy?

The loop is F – Db – Cm – C – C (I – VI – v – V – I) in F minor, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Fm.

What key is Happy in?

F minor, at about 156 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Happy?

Skipping-stone pulse: root bass · 1 · 2& · 3&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Happy 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?

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

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.