Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Classical salon

Pencil Full Of Lead: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Paolo Nutini

  • D major
  • 2/2
  • 160 BPM
  • 2009
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Little stepsRight hand Ticking clockChords 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 Pencil Full Of Lead without reading music. The left hand plays little steps (broken chord 1-3-5-3) and the right hand ticking clock.

Pencil Full Of Lead accompaniment in letter notes

The D7 – A7 – G7 – D7 loop with little steps in the left hand and ticking clock in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D7
RF#4 F#4 F#4 F#4 F#4 F#4
LD2 F#2 A2 F#2
Bar 2
A7
RC#4 C#4 C#4 C#4 C#4 C#4
LA2 C#3 E3 C#3
Bar 3
G7
RB4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4
LG2 B2 D3 B2
Bar 4
D7
RF#4 F#4 B4 A4 G4 A4 C#5 C5 A4 C5
LD2 F#2 A2 F#2
Bar 5
D7
RF#4 F#4 F#4 F#4 F#4 F#4
LD2 F#2 A2 F#2
Bar 6
A7
RC#4 C#4 C#4 C#4 C#4 C#4
LA2 C#3 E3 C#3
Bar 7
G7
RB4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4
LG2 B2 D3 B2
Bar 8
D7
RF#4 F#4 F#4 F#4 F#4 F#4
LD2 F#2 A2 F#2

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 Pencil Full Of Lead

What are the letter notes for the Pencil Full Of Lead 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 D7 – A7 – G7 – D7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Pencil Full Of Lead?

The loop is D7 – A7 – G7 – D7 (I7 – V7 – IV7 – I7) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is Pencil Full Of Lead in?

D major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Pencil Full Of Lead?

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

Is Pencil Full Of Lead easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.