Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Runaway Train: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by David Pirner
- C major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- I–vi–V–I loop
- 1992
- Easy
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 Runaway Train without reading music. The left hand plays push and land (root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4) and the right hand offbeat skank.
Runaway Train accompaniment in letter notes
The C – Am – G – C loop with push and land in the left hand and offbeat skank in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
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 Runaway Train
What are the letter notes for the Runaway Train 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 C – Am – G – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Runaway Train?
The loop is C – Am – G – C (I – vi – V – I) in C major, and the song ends on Am – G – C.
What key is Runaway Train in?
C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Runaway Train?
Push and land: root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Runaway Train easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.