Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Sunrise: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Norah Jones

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Lazy footstepsRight hand Double-clap 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 Sunrise without reading music. The left hand plays lazy footsteps (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4) and the right hand double-clap chords.

Sunrise accompaniment in letter notes

The Cm – Bb – Eb – Ab loop with lazy footsteps in the left hand and double-clap chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Cm
RG4+C5+Eb5 G4+C5+Eb5 G4+C5+Eb5 G4+C5+Eb5
LC3 C4 C3
Bar 2
Bb
RF4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5
LBb2 Bb3 Bb2
Bar 3
Eb
RBb4+Eb5+G5 Bb4+Eb5+G5 Bb4+Eb5+G5 Bb4+Eb5+G5
LEb2 Eb3 Eb2
Bar 4
Ab
REb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 D4 Eb4 F4 G4 Ab4 Bb4 C5 D5
LAb2 Ab3 Ab2
Bar 5
Cm
RG4+C5+Eb5 G4+C5+Eb5 G4+C5+Eb5 G4+C5+Eb5
LC3 C4 C3
Bar 6
Bb
RF4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5
LBb2 Bb3 Bb2
Bar 7
Eb
RBb4+Eb5+G5 Bb4+Eb5+G5 Bb4+Eb5+G5 Bb4+Eb5+G5
LEb2 Eb3 Eb2
Bar 8
Ab
REb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6
LAb2 Ab3 Ab2

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

Questions about Sunrise

What are the letter notes for the Sunrise 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 Cm – Bb – Eb – Ab, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Sunrise?

The loop is Cm – Bb – Eb – Ab (i – bVII – bIII – bVI) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.

What key is Sunrise in?

C minor, at about 90 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Sunrise?

Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Sunrise 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.