Piano chords · Blues & boogie
Santa’s Beard: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Brian Wilson & Mike Love
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–IV–ii–V7 loop
- 1964
- Easy
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 Santa’s Beard without reading music. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand freeze-tag chords.
Santa’s Beard accompaniment in letter notes
The Ab – Db – Bbm – Eb7 loop with jazz walk in the left hand and freeze-tag chords 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.
Play next
More by Brian Wilson & Mike Love
Questions about Santa’s Beard
What are the letter notes for the Santa’s Beard 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 Ab – Db – Bbm – Eb7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Santa’s Beard?
The loop is Ab – Db – Bbm – Eb7 (I – IV – ii – V7) in Ab major, and the song ends on Bbm – Eb7 – Ab.
What key is Santa’s Beard in?
Ab major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Santa’s Beard?
Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Santa’s Beard 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.