Piano chords · Bossa beach
Shakedown: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Bob Seger
- E major
- 4/4
- 140 BPM
- I7–IV–I7–IV loop
- 1987
- 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 Shakedown without reading music. The left hand plays tiptoe seesaw (root–fifth 1-5-5-5) and the right hand steady chords.
Shakedown accompaniment in letter notes
The E7 – A – E7 – A loop with tiptoe seesaw in the left hand and steady 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.
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Questions about Shakedown
What are the letter notes for the Shakedown 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 E7 – A – E7 – A, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Shakedown?
The loop is E7 – A – E7 – A (I7 – IV – I7 – IV) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Shakedown in?
E major, at about 140 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Shakedown?
Tiptoe seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Shakedown 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.