Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Hold On: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By tobyMac

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Butterfly heartbeatThe right hand sings the tuneChords 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 Hold On without reading music. The left hand plays butterfly heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 4), and the right hand sings the tune.

Hold On accompaniment in letter notes

The Ab – Eb – Bbm – Db loop with butterfly heartbeat in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Ab
RAb4+C5+Eb5
LAb2 Ab2 Ab3 Ab2 Ab3
Bar 2
Eb
REb4+G4+Bb4
LEb2 Eb2 Eb3 Eb2 Eb3
Bar 3
Bbm
RBb3+Db4+F4
LBb2 Bb2 Bb3 Bb2 Bb3
Bar 4
Db
RDb4+F4+Ab4 Db4 Eb4 F4 G4 Ab4 Bb4 C5 Db5
LDb3 Db3 Db4 Db3 Db4
Bar 5
Ab
RAb4+C5+Eb5
LAb2 Ab2 Ab3 Ab2 Ab3
Bar 6
Eb
REb4+G4+Bb4
LEb2 Eb2 Eb3 Eb2 Eb3
Bar 7
Bbm
RBb3+Db4+F4
LBb2 Bb2 Bb3 Bb2 Bb3
Bar 8
Db
RDb4+F4+Ab4
LDb3 Db3 Db4 Db3 Db4

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 Ab – Eb – Bbm – Db, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Hold On?

The loop is Ab – Eb – Bbm – Db (I – V – ii – IV) in Ab major, and the song ends on Eb – Db – Ab.

What key is Hold On in?

Ab major, at about 92 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Hold On?

Butterfly heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 4, 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 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

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