Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Lilac Wine: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Katie Melua

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Seesaw bassRight hand Steady 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 Lilac Wine without reading music. The left hand plays seesaw bass (root–fifth 1-5-1-5) and the right hand steady chords.

Lilac Wine accompaniment in letter notes

The Bb – Eb – F7 – Bb loop with seesaw bass in the left hand and steady chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Bb
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2 F3 Bb2 F3 Bb2 F3 Bb2 F3
Bar 2
Eb
RG4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5
LEb2 Bb2 Eb2 Bb2 Eb2 Bb2 Eb2 Bb2
Bar 3
F7
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LF2 C3 F2 C3 F2 C3 F2 C3
Bar 4
Bb
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 Db5 D5 F5 G5 F5 D5 Db5 Bb4
LBb2 F3 Bb2 F3 Bb2 F3 Bb2 F3
Bar 5
Bb
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2 F3 Bb2 F3 Bb2 F3 Bb2 F3
Bar 6
Eb
RG4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5
LEb2 Bb2 Eb2 Bb2 Eb2 Bb2 Eb2 Bb2
Bar 7
F7
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LF2 C3 F2 C3 F2 C3 F2 C3
Bar 8
Bb
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2 F3 Bb2 F3 Bb2 F3 Bb2 F3

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 Lilac Wine

What are the letter notes for the Lilac Wine 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 Bb – Eb – F7 – Bb, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Lilac Wine?

The loop is Bb – Eb – F7 – Bb (I – IV – V7 – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Cm – F7 – Bb.

What key is Lilac Wine in?

Bb major, at about 66 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Lilac Wine?

Seesaw bass: root–fifth 1-5-1-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Lilac Wine 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.