Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Classical salon

Matchbox: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By The Beatles

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Little stepsRight hand Offbeat skankChords 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 Matchbox without reading music. The left hand plays little steps (broken chord 1-3-5-3) and the right hand offbeat skank.

Matchbox accompaniment in letter notes

The A – D7 – A – E7 loop with little steps in the left hand and offbeat skank in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA2 C#3 E3 C#3
Bar 2
D7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD2 F#2 A2 F#2
Bar 3
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA2 C#3 E3 C#3
Bar 4
E7
RG#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 C#5 B4 A4 B4 E5 D5 C#5 D5
LE2 G#2 B2 G#2
Bar 5
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA2 C#3 E3 C#3
Bar 6
D7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD2 F#2 A2 F#2
Bar 7
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA2 C#3 E3 C#3
Bar 8
E7
RG#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5
LE2 G#2 B2 G#2

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 Matchbox

What are the letter notes for the Matchbox 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 A – D7 – A – E7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Matchbox?

The loop is A – D7 – A – E7 (I – IV7 – I – V7) in A major, and the song ends on A – E7 – A.

What key is Matchbox in?

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

What does the left hand play in Matchbox?

Little steps: broken chord 1-3-5-3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Matchbox 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.