Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Bossa beach

Let's Stay Together: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Al Green

  • F major
  • 4/4
  • 100 BPM
  • 1971
  • Easy
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Left hand Bossa swayRight hand Dawdling chordsChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Let's Stay Together without reading music. The left hand plays bossa sway (root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&)) and the right hand dawdling chords.

The opening of Let's Stay Together 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
Gm7 → Am7
RBb3+D4+F4+A4 Bb3+D4+F4+A4 A3+C4+E4+G4 A3+C4+E4+G4
LG2 G2 A2 A2
Bar 2
Gm7 → Am7
RBb3+D4+F4 Bb3+D4+F4 A3+C4+E4+G4
LG2 G2 A2 A2
Bar 3
Gm7 → Am7
RBb3+D4+F4+A4 Bb3+D4+F4+A4 A3+C4+E4+G4 A3+C4+E4+G4
LG2 G2 A2 A2
Bar 4
Gm7 → C7
RBb3+D4+F4 Bb3+D4+F4 G3+Bb3+C4+E4
LG2 G2 C3 C3

Let's Stay Together accompaniment in letter notes

The Gm7 – Am7 – Gm7 – Am7 – Gm7 – Am7 – Gm7 – C7 loop with bossa sway in the left hand and dawdling chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Gm7 → Am7
RBb4+D5+F5+G5 Bb4+D5+F5+G5 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4
LG2 G2 A2 A2
Bar 2
Gm7 → Am7
RBb4+D5+F5+G5 Bb4+D5+F5+G5 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4
LG2 G2 A2 A2
Bar 3
Gm7 → Am7
RBb4+D5+F5+G5 Bb4+D5+F5+G5 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4
LG2 G2 A2 A2
Bar 4
Gm7 → C7
RBb4+D5+F5+G5 Bb4+D5+F5+G5 G6 F6 E6 D6 C6 Bb5 A5 G5
LG2 G2 C3 C3
Bar 5
Gm7 → Am7
RBb4+D5+F5+G5 Bb4+D5+F5+G5 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4
LG2 G2 A2 A2
Bar 6
Gm7 → Am7
RBb4+D5+F5+G5 Bb4+D5+F5+G5 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4
LG2 G2 A2 A2
Bar 7
Gm7 → Am7
RBb4+D5+F5+G5 Bb4+D5+F5+G5 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4
LG2 G2 A2 A2
Bar 8
Gm7 → C7
RBb4+D5+F5+G5 Bb4+D5+F5+G5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5
LG2 G2 C3 C3

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 Let's Stay Together

What are the letter notes for the Let's Stay Together 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 Gm7 – Am7 – Gm7 – Am7 – Gm7 – Am7 – Gm7 – C7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Let's Stay Together?

The loop is Gm7 – Am7 – Gm7 – Am7 – Gm7 – Am7 – Gm7 – C7 (ii7 – iii7 – ii7 – iii7 – ii7 – iii7 – ii7 – V7) in F major, and the song ends on Gm – C – F.

What key is Let's Stay Together in?

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

What does the left hand play in Let's Stay Together?

Bossa sway: root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Let's Stay Together easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 8 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Let's Stay Together?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the opening of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.