Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Hotel California: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Eagles

  • B minor
  • 2/2
  • 92 BPM
  • 1976
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Gentle rockingRight hand Hopscotch chordsChords 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 Hotel California without reading music. The left hand plays gentle rocking (broken chord 1-5-8-5) and the right hand hopscotch chords.

The opening of Hotel California 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
C
RF#4+B4+D5 F#4 B4 D5 B4 F#4
LD2
Bar 2
C
RB4+D5 B4 D4 E4
LE2 F#2
Bar 3
C
RDb4+F#4+Bb4 Db4 Bb4 Db5 Bb4 Db4
LE2 D2
Bar 4
C
RBb3+F#4+Bb4
LDb2

Hotel California accompaniment in letter notes

The G – D – Em – F# loop with gentle rocking in the left hand and hopscotch chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5 B4+D5
LG2 D3 G3 D3
Bar 2
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4 F#4+A4
LD2 A2 D3 A2
Bar 3
Em
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4 G4+B4
LE2 B2 E3 B2
Bar 4
F#
RA#4+C#5+F#5 A#4+C#5 F#4 A#4 C#5 F#5 A#5 C#6 F#6 A#6
LF#2 C#3 F#3 C#3
Bar 5
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5 B4+D5
LG2 D3 G3 D3
Bar 6
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4 F#4+A4
LD2 A2 D3 A2
Bar 7
Em
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4 G4+B4
LE2 B2 E3 B2
Bar 8
F#
RA#4+C#5+F#5 A#4+C#5 A#4+C#5
LF#2 C#3 F#3 C#3

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 Hotel California

What are the letter notes for the Hotel California 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 G – D – Em – F#, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Hotel California?

The loop is G – D – Em – F# (bVI – bIII – iv – V) in B minor, and the song ends on G – A – Bm.

What key is Hotel California in?

B minor, at about 92 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Hotel California?

Gentle rocking: broken chord 1-5-8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Hotel California 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.

Can I hear the real melody of Hotel California?

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.