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Lean On Me: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Bill Withers
- C major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 1972
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Lean On Me written out as piano music: the I – ii7 – I – iii – V7 – vi7 – I loop in C major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays hurrying footsteps (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&) and the right hand freeze-tag chords.
Lean On Me chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in C major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | I | C E G |
| 1 | Dm7 | ii7 | D F A C |
| 3 | C | I | C E G |
| 3 | Em | iii | E G B |
| 4 | G7 | V7 | G B D F |
| 4 | Am7 | vi7 | A C E G |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: hurrying footsteps (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&) in the left hand and freeze-tag chords in the right, over the C – Dm7 – Dm7 – C – Em – G7 – Am7 chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
To see the real melody written out, play “The part you know”: the sheet music changes to it.
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Questions about Lean On Me
Does the sheet music for Lean On Me have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
What chords are in Lean On Me?
The loop is C – Dm7 – Dm7 – C – Em – G7 – Am7 (I – ii7 – I – iii – V7 – vi7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – Dm – C.
What key is Lean On Me in?
C major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Lean On Me?
Hurrying footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Lean On Me easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Lean On Me?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 7 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.