Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
On The Radio: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Donna Summer
- E minor
- 4/4
- 72 BPM
- 1979
- Easy
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 On The Radio without reading music. The left hand plays walking roots (root bass · quarters), and the right hand sings the tune.
On The Radio accompaniment in letter notes
The Am – Bm – Em – Am loop with walking roots in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
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 On The Radio
What are the letter notes for the On The Radio 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 Am – Bm – Em – Am, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in On The Radio?
The loop is Am – Bm – Em – Am (iv – v – i – iv) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is On The Radio in?
E minor, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in On The Radio?
Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is On The Radio 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.