Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Oliver’s Army: piano accompaniment sheet music

By Elvis Costello

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Take-off climbRight hand Push-and-land chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Oliver’s Army written out as piano music: the I – IV – V – I loop in A major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays take-off climb (broken chord 1-1-3-5) and the right hand push-and-land chords.

Oliver’s Army chord chart

The loop once round, bar by bar, in A major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.

BarChordNumeralNotes
1AIA C# E
2DIVD F# A
3EVE G# B
4AIA C# E

What the sheet music shows

The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: take-off climb (broken chord 1-1-3-5) in the left hand and push-and-land chords in the right, over the A – D – E – A chords.

Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.

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Questions about Oliver’s Army

Does the sheet music for Oliver’s Army have finger numbers?

Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.

What chords are in Oliver’s Army?

The loop is A – D – E – A (I – IV – V – I) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.

What key is Oliver’s Army in?

A major, at about 144 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Oliver’s Army?

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

Is Oliver’s Army 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.