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Piano chords · Waltz garden

Polaroid: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Tokio Myers

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Serenade shimmerRight hand Waltzing clockChords 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 Polaroid without reading music. The left hand plays serenade shimmer (bass + chords (3/4)) and the right hand waltzing clock.

Polaroid accompaniment in letter notes

The A – F#m – B7 – E loop with serenade shimmer in the left hand and waltzing clock in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
A
RA3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3
LA2 E3+A3+C#4 E3+A3+C#4 E3+A3+C#4 E3+A3+C#4 E3+A3+C#4
Bar 2
F#m
RF#4 F#4 F#4 F#4 F#4 F#4
LF#2 C#3+F#3+A3 C#3+F#3+A3 C#3+F#3+A3 C#3+F#3+A3 C#3+F#3+A3
Bar 3
B7
RB3 B3 B3 B3 B3 B3
LB2 F#3+B3+D#4 F#3+B3+D#4 F#3+B3+D#4 F#3+B3+D#4 F#3+B3+D#4
Bar 4
E
RE4 E4 E4 G#4 B4 E5 G#5 B5 E6 G#6
LE2 B2+E3+G#3 B2+E3+G#3 B2+E3+G#3 B2+E3+G#3 B2+E3+G#3
Bar 5
A
RA3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3
LA2 E3+A3+C#4 E3+A3+C#4 E3+A3+C#4 E3+A3+C#4 E3+A3+C#4
Bar 6
F#m
RF#4 F#4 F#4 F#4 F#4 F#4
LF#2 C#3+F#3+A3 C#3+F#3+A3 C#3+F#3+A3 C#3+F#3+A3 C#3+F#3+A3
Bar 7
B7
RB3 B3 B3 B3 B3 B3
LB2 F#3+B3+D#4 F#3+B3+D#4 F#3+B3+D#4 F#3+B3+D#4 F#3+B3+D#4
Bar 8
E
RE4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4
LE2 B2+E3+G#3 B2+E3+G#3 B2+E3+G#3 B2+E3+G#3 B2+E3+G#3

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 Polaroid

What are the letter notes for the Polaroid 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 A – F#m – B7 – E, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Polaroid?

The loop is A – F#m – B7 – E (IV – ii – V7 – I) in E major, and the song ends on F#m – B7 – E.

What key is Polaroid in?

E major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Polaroid?

Serenade shimmer: bass + chords (3/4), a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Polaroid easy to play on piano?

It is a tricky 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.