Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Rock drive

Penny Lane: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By The Beatles

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 80 BPM
  • 1967
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Giant stepsRight hand Steady chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Penny Lane without reading music. The left hand plays giant steps (lh chords) and the right hand steady chords.

The main tune of Penny Lane in letter notes

The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am
RD5 D#4 G4 C5 D#4 G4 C5 D5 D#5
LA2
Bar 2
Ab
RC5 D5
LAb2 Eb3 Ab3 Bb3 C4
Bar 3
G7
REb5 C5 D5 D5
LG2+D3+F3+C4 D3+F3+B3 G2
Bar 4
Dm7 → G7
RG4 C5 D5
LD3+F3+C4 D3+F3+C4 G2+D3+F3+B3

Penny Lane accompaniment in letter notes

The Am – Ab – G7 – Dm7 – G7 loop with giant steps in the left hand and steady chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2+E3+A3 E3+A3 E3+A3 E3+A3
Bar 2
Ab
RC5+Eb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Ab5
LAb2+Eb3+Ab3 Eb3+Ab3 Eb3+Ab3 Eb3+Ab3
Bar 3
G7
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2+D3+G3 D3+G3 D3+G3 D3+G3
Bar 4
Dm7 → G7
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 G6 F6 D6 B5 Ab5 G5 F#5 F5
LD2+A2+D3 A2+D3 D3+G3 D3+G3
Bar 5
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2+E3+A3 E3+A3 E3+A3 E3+A3
Bar 6
Ab
RC5+Eb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Ab5
LAb2+Eb3+Ab3 Eb3+Ab3 Eb3+Ab3 Eb3+Ab3
Bar 7
G7
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2+D3+G3 D3+G3 D3+G3 D3+G3
Bar 8
Dm7 → G7
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LD2+A2+D3 A2+D3 D3+G3 D3+G3

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 Penny Lane

What are the letter notes for the Penny Lane 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 – Ab – G7 – Dm7 – G7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Penny Lane?

The loop is Am – Ab – G7 – Dm7 – G7 (vi – bVI – V7 – ii7 – V7) in C major, and the song ends on C – F – C.

What key is Penny Lane in?

C major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Penny Lane?

Giant steps: lh chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Penny Lane easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 5 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Penny Lane?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 7 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.