Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Run: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Christina Perri

  • D major
  • 4/4
  • 80 BPM
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Dewdrop twinkleChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Run without reading music. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand dewdrop twinkle.

The catchy part of Run 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
A → D
RA4 C#4+E4+A4 G4 A3+D4+F#4 D4+F#4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA2 A3 D3 C#3
Bar 2
Bm → G
RF#4+B4+D5 F#4+B4+D5 B4 G4+B4+D5 D4+G4+B4 D4+G4+B4 D4+G4+A4
LB2 B3 G2 G3
Bar 3
D → A
RD4+F#4+A4 D4+F#4+A4 D4+F#4+A4 F#4 A3+C#4+E4 B4 C#5 F#4+B4+D5
LD2 D3 A2 A2 A2 A2
Bar 4
Bm → G
RB4 F#4+B4+D5 B4 D5 D4+G4+B4 D4+G4+B4 A4 C#4+E4+A4
LB2 B3 G2 G3

Run accompaniment in letter notes

The A – D – A – Bm – G – D – A – Bm – G loop with jazz walk in the left hand and dewdrop twinkle in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
A → D
RA3 C#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4 D4 F#4 D4 F#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4
LA2 B2 F2 C#3
Bar 2
Bm → G
RB3 D4 B3 D4 B3 D4 B3 D4 G4 B4 G4 B4 G4 B4 G4 B4
LB2 C#3 Bb2 B2
Bar 3
D → A
RD4 F#4 D4 F#4 D4 F#4 D4 F#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4
LD2 E2 C3 C#3
Bar 4
Bm → G
RB3 D4 B3 D4 B3 D4 B3 D4 Bb4 B4 D5 E5 D5 B4 Bb4 G4
LB2 C#3 Bb2 B2
Bar 5
A → D
RA3 C#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4 D4 F#4 D4 F#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4
LA2 B2 F2 C#3
Bar 6
Bm → G
RB3 D4 B3 D4 B3 D4 B3 D4 G4 B4 G4 B4 G4 B4 G4 B4
LB2 C#3 Bb2 B2
Bar 7
D → A
RD4 F#4 D4 F#4 D4 F#4 D4 F#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4
LD2 E2 C3 C#3
Bar 8
Bm → G
RB3 D4 B3 D4 B3 D4 B3 D4 G4 B4 G4 B4 G4 B4 G4 B4
LB2 C#3 Bb2 B2

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 Run

What are the letter notes for the Run 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 – D – A – Bm – G – D – A – Bm – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Run?

The loop is A – D – A – Bm – G – D – A – Bm – G (V – I – V – vi – IV – I – V – vi – IV) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is Run in?

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

What does the left hand play in Run?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Run easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 9 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Run?

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

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