Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Stay: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Lisa Loeb

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Knock-knock footstepsRight hand Push chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

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 without reading music. The left hand plays knock-knock footsteps (root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 4) and the right hand push chords.

Stay accompaniment in letter notes

The Dm – C – Dm – C loop with knock-knock footsteps in the left hand and push chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Dm
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5
LD2 D3 D2 D3
Bar 2
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C4 C3 C4
Bar 3
Dm
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5
LD2 D3 D2 D3
Bar 4
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5 E5
LC3 C4 C3 C4
Bar 5
Dm
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5
LD2 D3 D2 D3
Bar 6
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C4 C3 C4
Bar 7
Dm
RF4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5
LD2 D3 D2 D3
Bar 8
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C4 C3 C4

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

What are the letter notes for the Stay 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 Dm – C – Dm – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Stay?

The loop is Dm – C – Dm – C (ii – I – ii – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Stay in?

C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Stay?

Knock-knock footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Stay 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.