Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Michelle: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By The Beatles

  • Ab major
  • 2/2
  • 120 BPM
  • 1965
  • Easy
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Style

Left hand Bluesy shrugRight 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 Michelle without reading music. The left hand plays bluesy shrug (broken chord 8-5-7) and the right hand steady chords.

The main tune of Michelle 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
F → Cm
RC5 C4+F4+A4 C5 C4+F4+A4
LF2 C3
Bar 2
Bbm7 → Fm
RF4+Ab4 Db5 Ab4 Db4+F4
LBb2 F2
Bar 3
Eb
REb4+G4 C5 Bb3+Eb4+G4 G4
LEb2 Bb2
Bar 4
Dm → Db7
RD4+F4+F4 G#4 Ebb4+F4+Cb4 Ab4
LD2 Cb2

Michelle accompaniment in letter notes

The F – Cm – Bbm7 – Fm – Eb – Dm – Db7 loop with bluesy shrug in the left hand and steady chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
F → Cm
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 Eb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5
LF3 G3 Bb3
Bar 2
Bbm7 → Fm
RDb4+F4+Bb4 Db4+F4+Bb4 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5
LBb3 C3 Eb3
Bar 3
Eb
RG4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5
LEb3 Bb2 Db3
Bar 4
Dm → Db7
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 F4 Ab4 Cb4 Db5 F5 Ab5 Cb5 Db6
LD3 Ab3 Cb3
Bar 5
F → Cm
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 Eb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5
LF3 G3 Bb3
Bar 6
Bbm7 → Fm
RDb4+F4+Bb4 Db4+F4+Bb4 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5
LBb3 C3 Eb3
Bar 7
Eb
RG4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5
LEb3 Bb2 Db3
Bar 8
Dm → Db7
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 F4+Ab4+Db5 F4+Ab4+Db5
LD3 Ab3 Cb3

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 Michelle

What are the letter notes for the Michelle 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 F – Cm – Bbm7 – Fm – Eb – Dm – Db7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Michelle?

The loop is F – Cm – Bbm7 – Fm – Eb – Dm – Db7 (VI – iii – ii7 – vi – V – #iv – IV7) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.

What key is Michelle in?

Ab major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Michelle?

Bluesy shrug: broken chord 8-5-7, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Michelle easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Michelle?

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

Made from 8 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.