Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Rock drive

Popular (from Wicked): easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Stephen Schwartz

  • F major
  • 4/4
  • 90 BPM
  • 2003
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it

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 Popular (from Wicked) without reading music. The left hand plays giant steps (lh chords) and the right hand steady chords.

The main tune of Popular (from Wicked) 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
Dm7
RF5 F5 A5 C5
LF3+Bb3+C4+D4 F3+Bb3+C4+D4 F3+Bb3+C4+D4 F3+A3+C4
Bar 2
F → C
RC5 C5 D5 E5
LF3+A3+C4 F3+A3+C4 E3+G3+C4 E3+G3+C4
Bar 3
Dm → Am
RF5 A5 C6 C5 E5
LF3+A3+D4 F3+A3+D4 E3+A3+C4 E3+A3+C4
Bar 4
Dm → Am
RF5 A5 E5+C6 C5 E5
LF3+A3+D4 F3+A3+D4 E3+A3+C4 E3+A3+C4

Popular (from Wicked) accompaniment in letter notes

The Dm7 – F – C – Dm – Am – Dm – Am 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
Dm7
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5
LD2+A2+D3 A2+D3 A2+D3 A2+D3
Bar 2
F → C
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LF2+C3+F3 C3+F3 G3+C4 G3+C4
Bar 3
Dm → Am
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LD2+A2+D3 A2+D3 E3+A3 E3+A3
Bar 4
Dm → Am
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 C7 A6 E6 C6 A5 G#5 G5 F#5
LD2+A2+D3 A2+D3 E3+A3 E3+A3
Bar 5
Dm7
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5
LD2+A2+D3 A2+D3 A2+D3 A2+D3
Bar 6
F → C
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LF2+C3+F3 C3+F3 G3+C4 G3+C4
Bar 7
Dm → Am
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LD2+A2+D3 A2+D3 E3+A3 E3+A3
Bar 8
Dm → Am
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LD2+A2+D3 A2+D3 E3+A3 E3+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 Popular (from Wicked)

What are the letter notes for the Popular (from Wicked) 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 Dm7 – F – C – Dm – Am – Dm – Am, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Popular (from Wicked)?

The loop is Dm7 – F – C – Dm – Am – Dm – Am (vi7 – I – V – vi – iii – vi – iii) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Popular (from Wicked) in?

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

What does the left hand play in Popular (from Wicked)?

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

Is Popular (from Wicked) easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Popular (from Wicked)?

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

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.