Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Bossa beach

Losing My Religion: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By R.E.M.

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 120 BPM
  • 1991
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Bossa swayRight hand Steady chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Losing My Religion without reading music. The left hand plays bossa sway (root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&)) and the right hand steady chords.

The bass riff of Losing My Religion 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
Am7 → Am
RC5 E4+A4+C5 C5 E4+A4+C5 B4
LG2 A2 G2 A2 C3
Bar 2
Em → F#7
RG4 B3+E4 B3+E4+G4 B3
LE3 F#2 E2
Bar 3
Em
RB4 B4 E4+G4 C5 B4 E4+G4+B4 A4
LE2 E2 E2 G2 G2
Bar 4
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2 A2

Losing My Religion accompaniment in letter notes

The Am7 – Am – Em – F#7 – Em – Am loop with bossa sway in the left hand and steady chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am7 → Am
RC4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4
LA2 A2 A2 A2
Bar 2
Em → F#7
RG4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5 A#4+C#5+E5+F#5 A#4+C#5+E5+F#5
LE2 E2 F#2 F#2
Bar 3
Em
RG4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 4
Am
RC4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4 F6 E6 D6 C6 B5 A5 G5 F5
LA2 A2 A2 A2
Bar 5
Am7 → Am
RC4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4
LA2 A2 A2 A2
Bar 6
Em → F#7
RG4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5 A#4+C#5+E5+F#5 A#4+C#5+E5+F#5
LE2 E2 F#2 F#2
Bar 7
Em
RG4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 8
Am
RC4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4
LA2 A2 A2 A2

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 Losing My Religion

What are the letter notes for the Losing My Religion 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 Am7 – Am – Em – F#7 – Em – Am, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Losing My Religion?

The loop is Am7 – Am – Em – F#7 – Em – Am (vi7 – vi – iii – #IV7 – iii – vi) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Losing My Religion in?

C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Losing My Religion?

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 Losing My Religion easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Losing My Religion?

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

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.