Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

Stay Forever: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Hal Ketchum

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 80 BPM
  • 1994
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Oom-pahThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Stay Forever without reading music. The left hand plays oom-pah (bass + chords), and the right hand sings the tune.

Stay Forever accompaniment in letter notes

The Am – Em – C – Bm loop with oom-pah in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am
RA3+C4+E4
LA2 C3+E3 C3+E3 C3+E3
Bar 2
Em
RE4+G4+B4
LE2 G2+B2 G2+B2 G2+B2
Bar 3
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 E3+G3 E3+G3 E3+G3
Bar 4
Bm
RB3+D4+F#4 B6 F#6 D6 B5 G#5 G5 F#5 E#5
LB2 D3+F#3 D3+F#3 D3+F#3
Bar 5
Am
RA3+C4+E4
LA2 C3+E3 C3+E3 C3+E3
Bar 6
Em
RE4+G4+B4
LE2 G2+B2 G2+B2 G2+B2
Bar 7
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 E3+G3 E3+G3 E3+G3
Bar 8
Bm
RB3+D4+F#4
LB2 D3+F#3 D3+F#3 D3+F#3

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 Stay Forever

What are the letter notes for the Stay Forever 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 Am – Em – C – Bm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Stay Forever?

The loop is Am – Em – C – Bm (ii – vi – IV – iii) in G major, and the song ends on Am – D7 – G.

What key is Stay Forever in?

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

What does the left hand play in Stay Forever?

Oom-pah: bass + chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Stay Forever 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.