Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

On The Wigan Boat Express: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By George Formby

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

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 Wigan Boat Express without reading music. The left hand plays trampoline bounce (broken chord 8-12-5-12) and the right hand run-up chords.

On The Wigan Boat Express accompaniment in letter notes

The D – E7 – A7 – D loop with trampoline 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
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD3 A3 A2 A3
Bar 2
E7
RG#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5
LE3 B3 B2 B3
Bar 3
A7
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA3 E4 E3 E4
Bar 4
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4 A4 D5 F#5 A5 D6 F#6 A6
LD3 A3 A2 A3
Bar 5
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD3 A3 A2 A3
Bar 6
E7
RG#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5
LE3 B3 B2 B3
Bar 7
A7
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA3 E4 E3 E4
Bar 8
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD3 A3 A2 A3

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 Wigan Boat Express

What are the letter notes for the On The Wigan Boat Express 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 D – E7 – A7 – D, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in On The Wigan Boat Express?

The loop is D – E7 – A7 – D (I – II7 – V7 – I) in D major, and the song ends on D – A7 – D.

What key is On The Wigan Boat Express in?

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

What does the left hand play in On The Wigan Boat Express?

Trampoline bounce: broken chord 8-12-5-12, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is On The Wigan Boat Express 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.