Super Simple Chords

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Hold On: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Richard Ashcroft

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 128 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Walking rootsRight hand Hopscotch 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 Hold On without reading music. The left hand plays walking roots (root bass · quarters) and the right hand hopscotch chords.

The catchy part of Hold On 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
Am
RA3+C4+F4 E4 C4+C4 D4
LF2 F2 A2+A3 A2
Bar 2
G
RB3 D4 D4 D4 E4
LG2+G3 G2 G2 G2
Bar 3
G → Am
RB3 D4 C4
LG2 G2 A2+A3 A2
Bar 4
F
RA3+C4 G4 G4 F4 F4
LF2+F3 F2 F2 F2

Hold On accompaniment in letter notes

The Am – G – G – Am – F loop with walking roots in the left hand and hopscotch chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4 C4+E4
LA2 A2 A3 A3
Bar 2
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5 B4+D5
LG2 G2 G3 G3
Bar 3
G → Am
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5 C4+E4
LG2 G2 A3 A3
Bar 4
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5
LF2 F2 F3 F3
Bar 5
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4 C4+E4
LA2 A2 A3 A3
Bar 6
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5 B4+D5
LG2 G2 G3 G3
Bar 7
G → Am
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5 C4+E4
LG2 G2 A3 A3
Bar 8
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5 A4+C5
LF2 F2 F3 F3

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 Hold On

What are the letter notes for the Hold On 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 Am – G – G – Am – F, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Hold On?

The loop is Am – G – G – Am – F (vi – V – vi – IV – vi) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Hold On in?

C major, at about 128 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Hold On?

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

Is Hold On 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 Hold On?

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

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