Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By African-American Spiritual

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 96 BPM
  • 2005
  • Easy
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Left hand Velvet jazzRight hand Hopscotch chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Swing Low, Sweet Chariot without reading music. The left hand plays velvet jazz (lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3)) and the right hand hopscotch chords.

The intro of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 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
Am → Am7
RC4+G4 C4+G4 C4+G4 E4+B4 C4+E4+A4 G4
LA2+E3 A2+E3 A2+E3 C3+G3 D3+G3+A3
Bar 2
G → D7
RB3+D4+G4 C5 B4 A4 G4
LG2 A3 B3 C4 D4
Bar 3
G
RG4+B4 D4+G4 G4+B4
LG2 B3 G3 E3 D3
Bar 4
C → Am7
RG4 E4 G4 C4+E4 D4
LC3 G3+B3 D3+G3+A3 E3

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot accompaniment in letter notes

The Am – Am7 – G – D7 – G – C – Am7 loop with velvet jazz in the left hand and hopscotch chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am → Am7
RC4+E4+G4+A4 G3+C4+E4 G3+C4+E4
LC3+G3 C3+A3 C3+G3 C3+A3
Bar 2
G → D7
RB4+D5+F5+G5 F4+B4+D5 C4+F#4+A4
LB2+F3 B2+G3 F#2+C3 F#2+D3
Bar 3
G
RB4+D5+F5+G5 F4+B4+D5 F4+B4+D5
LB2+F3 B2+G3 B2+F3 B2+G3
Bar 4
C → Am7
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 Bb3+E4+G4 B4 C5 E5 F#5 E5 C5 C5 A4
LE3+Bb3 E3+C4 C3+G3 C3+A3
Bar 5
Am → Am7
RC4+E4+G4+A4 G3+C4+E4 G3+C4+E4
LC3+G3 C3+A3 C3+G3 C3+A3
Bar 6
G → D7
RB4+D5+F5+G5 F4+B4+D5 C4+F#4+A4
LB2+F3 B2+G3 F#2+C3 F#2+D3
Bar 7
G
RB4+D5+F5+G5 F4+B4+D5 F4+B4+D5
LB2+F3 B2+G3 B2+F3 B2+G3
Bar 8
C → Am7
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 Bb3+E4+G4 G3+C4+E4
LE3+Bb3 E3+C4 C3+G3 C3+A3

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 Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

What are the letter notes for the Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 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 – Am7 – G – D7 – G – C – Am7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot?

The loop is Am – Am7 – G – D7 – G – C – Am7 (ii – ii7 – I – V7 – I – IV – ii7) in G major, and the song ends on G – D7 – G.

What key is Swing Low, Sweet Chariot in?

G major, at about 96 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot?

Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Swing Low, Sweet Chariot easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot?

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.