Super Simple Chords

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Keep On Smilin': easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Wet Willie

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Walking rootsRight hand Late-knock 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 Keep On Smilin' without reading music. The left hand plays walking roots (root bass · quarters) and the right hand late-knock chords.

Keep On Smilin' accompaniment in letter notes

The G – D – C – G loop with walking roots in the left hand and late-knock chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G3 G3
Bar 2
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D3 D3
Bar 3
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C4 C4
Bar 4
G
RB4+D5+G5 C4 D4 E4 F#4 G4 A4 B4 C5
LG2 G2 G3 G3
Bar 5
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G3 G3
Bar 6
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D3 D3
Bar 7
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C4 C4
Bar 8
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G3 G3

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 Keep On Smilin'

What are the letter notes for the Keep On Smilin' 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 – C – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Keep On Smilin'?

The loop is G – D – C – G (I – V – IV – I) in G major, and the song ends on D – C – G.

What key is Keep On Smilin' in?

G major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Keep On Smilin'?

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

Is Keep On Smilin' 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.