Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Meditation (Meditacao): easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Antonio Carlos Jobim

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 120 BPM
  • 1962
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Rolling wavesRight hand Push chordsChords from the chord symbols in the score

Play the full song with sheet music

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 Meditation (Meditacao) without reading music. The left hand plays rolling waves (open arpeggio 1-5-10-5) and the right hand push chords.

The main tune of Meditation (Meditacao) 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
C
RB3+E4 A3+D4 G4
LC2 G2 D3 E3 D3 C3
Bar 2
Bsus4
RC#4+F#4+B4 A#4 C#4+F#4+A4
LB2+E3+A3 E3+A3 A3 E3
Bar 3
B7 → C
RC#4+F#4 C#4+F#4 C#4+F#4 C#4+F#4 F#4 G4 B3+E4+A4
LB2+D#3+A3 B2+D#3+A3 B2+D#3+A3 B2+D#3+A3 C2
Bar 4
C → Dm7 → Em7
RA4 A4 C4+E4+F4+A4 A4 A4 B3+D4+E4+A4
LG2 D2 A2 E2

Meditation (Meditacao) accompaniment in letter notes

The C – Bsus4 – B7 – C – C – Dm7 – Em7 loop with rolling waves in the left hand and push chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 G3 E4 G3
Bar 2
Bsus4
RE4+F#4+B4 E4+F#4+B4 E4+F#4+B4
LB2 F#3 E4 F#3
Bar 3
B7 → C
RD#4+F#4+B4 D#4+F#4+B4 D#4+F#4+B4
LB2 F#3 D#4 F#3
Bar 4
C → Dm7 → Em7
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 F4+A4+D5 F4 A4 C5 D5 F5 A5 C6 D6
LC3 G3 E4 A2
Bar 5
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 G3 E4 G3
Bar 6
Bsus4
RE4+F#4+B4 E4+F#4+B4 E4+F#4+B4
LB2 F#3 E4 F#3
Bar 7
B7 → C
RD#4+F#4+B4 D#4+F#4+B4 D#4+F#4+B4
LB2 F#3 D#4 F#3
Bar 8
C → Dm7 → Em7
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 F4+A4+D5
LC3 G3 E4 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 Meditation (Meditacao)

What are the letter notes for the Meditation (Meditacao) 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 C – Bsus4 – B7 – C – C – Dm7 – Em7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Meditation (Meditacao)?

The loop is C – Bsus4 – B7 – C – C – Dm7 – Em7 (I – VIIsus4 – VII7 – I – ii7 – iii7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – Dm – C.

What key is Meditation (Meditacao) in?

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

What does the left hand play in Meditation (Meditacao)?

Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Meditation (Meditacao) 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 Meditation (Meditacao)?

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

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.