Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Imagine: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Brent Edstrom

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 85 BPM
  • 1971
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Velvet jazzRight hand Push 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 Imagine without reading music. The left hand plays velvet jazz (lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3)) and the right hand push chords.

Imagine accompaniment in letter notes

The C – F – Bb7 – C loop with velvet jazz in the left hand and push chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5
LE3+Bb3 E3+C4 E3+Bb3 E3+C4
Bar 2
F
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LA2+Eb3 A2+F3 A2+Eb3 A2+F3
Bar 3
Bb7
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LD3+Ab3 D3+Bb3 D3+Ab3 D3+Bb3
Bar 4
C
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 Eb5 E5 G5 A5 G5 E5 Eb5 C5
LE3+Bb3 E3+C4 E3+Bb3 E3+C4
Bar 5
C
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5
LE3+Bb3 E3+C4 E3+Bb3 E3+C4
Bar 6
F
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LA2+Eb3 A2+F3 A2+Eb3 A2+F3
Bar 7
Bb7
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LD3+Ab3 D3+Bb3 D3+Ab3 D3+Bb3
Bar 8
C
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5
LE3+Bb3 E3+C4 E3+Bb3 E3+C4

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.

Play next

Questions about Imagine

What are the letter notes for the Imagine 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 C – F – Bb7 – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Imagine?

The loop is C – F – Bb7 – C (I – IV – bVII7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – Dm – C.

What key is Imagine in?

C major, at about 85 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Imagine?

Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Imagine 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.