Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Sweet Home Alabama: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Lynyrd Skynyrd

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 80 BPM
  • 1974
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Lub-dub heartbeatRight hand Lub-dub chordsChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Sweet Home Alabama without reading music. The left hand plays lub-dub heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 1& · 3 · 3&) and the right hand lub-dub chords.

The intro of Sweet Home Alabama 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 → C
RD4+F#4+A4+D5 D4+F#4+A4+D5 C4+E4+G4+C5 C4+E4+G4+C5
LD3+A3 D3+A3 C3+G3 C3+G3
Bar 2
G
RB3+D4+G4 B3+D4+G4 Bb4 B4 D5 E5 D5 B4 A4 G4
LG2+D3 G2+D3 G2 G2
Bar 3
D → C
RD4+F#4+A4+D5 D4+F#4+A4+D5 C4+E4+G4+C5 C4+E4+G4+C5
LD3+A3 D3+A3 C3+G3 C3+G3
Bar 4
G
RB3+D4+G4 B3+D4+G4 Bb4 B4 D5 E5 D5 B4 A4 G4
LG2+D3 G2+D3 G2 G2

Sweet Home Alabama accompaniment in letter notes

The D – C – G – D – C – G loop with lub-dub heartbeat in the left hand and lub-dub chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D → C
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LD2 D2 C3 C3
Bar 2
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 3
D → C
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LD2 D2 C3 C3
Bar 4
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 C4 D4 E4 F#4 G4 A4 B4 C5
LG2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 5
D → C
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LD2 D2 C3 C3
Bar 6
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 7
D → C
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LD2 D2 C3 C3
Bar 8
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2 G2

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 Sweet Home Alabama

What are the letter notes for the Sweet Home Alabama 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 – C – G – D – C – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Sweet Home Alabama?

The loop is D – C – G – D – C – G (V – IV – I – V – IV – I) in G major, and the song ends on D – C – G.

What key is Sweet Home Alabama in?

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

What does the left hand play in Sweet Home Alabama?

Lub-dub heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1& · 3 · 3&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Sweet Home Alabama 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 Sweet Home Alabama?

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.