Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Old Santa Fe: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Martin Silvestri & Joel Higgins

  • F major
  • 4/4
  • 110 BPM
  • 2004
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Ping-pong bounceRight hand Run-up chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Old Santa Fe without reading music. The left hand plays ping-pong bounce (broken chord 8-5) and the right hand run-up chords.

Old Santa Fe accompaniment in letter notes

The Gm – C – Bb – F loop with ping-pong bounce in the left hand and run-up chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Gm
RBb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5
LG3 D3 G3 D3
Bar 2
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC4 G3 C4 G3
Bar 3
Bb
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4
LBb3 F3 Bb3 F3
Bar 4
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 F4 A4 C5 F5 A5 C6 F6 A6
LF3 C3 F3 C3
Bar 5
Gm
RBb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5
LG3 D3 G3 D3
Bar 6
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC4 G3 C4 G3
Bar 7
Bb
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4
LBb3 F3 Bb3 F3
Bar 8
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF3 C3 F3 C3

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 Old Santa Fe

What are the letter notes for the Old Santa Fe 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 Gm – C – Bb – F, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Old Santa Fe?

The loop is Gm – C – Bb – F (ii – V – IV – I) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Old Santa Fe in?

F major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Old Santa Fe?

Ping-pong bounce: broken chord 8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Old Santa Fe 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.