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Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Onward, Christian Soldiers: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Sabine Baring-Gould

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 105 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Walking rootsRight hand Heartbeat 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 Onward, Christian Soldiers without reading music. The left hand plays walking roots (root bass · quarters) and the right hand heartbeat chords.

Onward, Christian Soldiers accompaniment in letter notes

The C – Eb7 – D7 – Db7 loop with walking roots in the left hand and heartbeat chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C
RG4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5
LC3 C3 C4 C4
Bar 2
Eb7
RBb4+Eb5+G5 Bb4+Eb5+G5 Bb4+Eb5+G5
LEb2 Eb2 Eb3 Eb3
Bar 3
D7
RA4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5
LD2 D2 D3 D3
Bar 4
Db7
RAb4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ebb4 Fb4 F4 G4 Bbb4 Cb4 C5 Ebb5
LDb3 Db3 Db4 Db4
Bar 5
C
RG4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5
LC3 C3 C4 C4
Bar 6
Eb7
RBb4+Eb5+G5 Bb4+Eb5+G5 Bb4+Eb5+G5
LEb2 Eb2 Eb3 Eb3
Bar 7
D7
RA4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5
LD2 D2 D3 D3
Bar 8
Db7
RAb4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5
LDb3 Db3 Db4 Db4

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 Onward, Christian Soldiers

What are the letter notes for the Onward, Christian Soldiers 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 C – Eb7 – D7 – Db7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Onward, Christian Soldiers?

The loop is C – Eb7 – D7 – Db7 (I – bIII7 – II7 – bII7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Onward, Christian Soldiers in?

C major, at about 105 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Onward, Christian Soldiers?

Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Onward, Christian Soldiers 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.