Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Bossa beach

Show Me The Way: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Peter Frampton

  • D major
  • 4/4
  • 142 BPM
  • 1975
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Pop seesawRight hand Wobbly chordsChords 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 Show Me The Way without reading music. The left hand plays pop seesaw (root–fifth 1-1-5) and the right hand wobbly chords.

The intro of Show Me The Way 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
D
RD4+F#4+A4 D4+F#4+A4 D4+F#4+A4 D4+F#4+A4
LD3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3
Bar 2
Dmaj7
RC#4+F#4+A4 C#4+F#4+A4 C#4+F#4+A4 C#4+F#4+A4
LD3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3 D3+A3
Bar 3
Bm
RB3+D4+F#4 B3+D4+F#4 B3+D4+F#4 B3+D4+F#4
LB2+F#3 B2+F#3 B2+F#3 B2+F#3
Bar 4
Bm → Bb → C
RF3+G3+Bb3+D4 F3+G3+Bb3+D4 F3+G3+Bb3+D4 G3+C4+E4
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2 Bb2 C3

Show Me The Way accompaniment in letter notes

The D – Dmaj7 – Bm – Bm – Bb – C loop with pop seesaw in the left hand and wobbly chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D
RC#4+D4+F#4+A4 C#4+D4+F#4+A4 C#4+D4+F#4+A4 C#4+D4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 A2
Bar 2
Dmaj7
RC4+D4+F#4+A4 C4+D4+F#4+A4 C4+D4+F#4+A4 C4+D4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 A2
Bar 3
Bm
RA3+B3+D4+F#4 A3+B3+D4+F#4 A3+B3+D4+F#4 A3+B3+D4+F#4
LB2 B2 F#3
Bar 4
Bm → Bb → C
RA3+B3+D4+F#4 A3+Bb3+D4+F4 E6 D6 Db6 Cb5 A5 G5 F#5 E5
LB2 Bb2 F3
Bar 5
D
RC#4+D4+F#4+A4 C#4+D4+F#4+A4 C#4+D4+F#4+A4 C#4+D4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 A2
Bar 6
Dmaj7
RC4+D4+F#4+A4 C4+D4+F#4+A4 C4+D4+F#4+A4 C4+D4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 A2
Bar 7
Bm
RA3+B3+D4+F#4 A3+B3+D4+F#4 A3+B3+D4+F#4 A3+B3+D4+F#4
LB2 B2 F#3
Bar 8
Bm → Bb → C
RA3+B3+D4+F#4 A3+Bb3+D4+F4 A3+Bb3+D4+F4 B3+C4+E4+G4
LB2 Bb2 F3

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 Show Me The Way

What are the letter notes for the Show Me The Way 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 D – Dmaj7 – Bm – Bm – Bb – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Show Me The Way?

The loop is D – Dmaj7 – Bm – Bm – Bb – C (I – Imaj7 – vi – bVI – bVII – I) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is Show Me The Way in?

D major, at about 142 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Show Me The Way?

Pop seesaw: root–fifth 1-1-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Show Me The Way easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Show Me The Way?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro 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.