Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

The Calculation: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Artist unknown

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 102 BPM
  • Easy
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Style

Left hand Oom-pahRight hand Offbeat skankChords 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 The Calculation without reading music. The left hand plays oom-pah (bass + chords) and the right hand offbeat skank.

The Calculation accompaniment in letter notes

The Bb – F – G7 – Bb loop with oom-pah in the left hand and offbeat skank in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Bb
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4
LBb2 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3
Bar 2
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF2 C3+F3 C3+F3 C3+F3 C3+F3
Bar 3
G7
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 D3+G3 D3+G3 D3+G3 D3+G3
Bar 4
Bb
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 Bb6 F6 D6 Bb5 A5 Ab5 G5 Gb5
LBb2 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3
Bar 5
Bb
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4
LBb2 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3
Bar 6
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF2 C3+F3 C3+F3 C3+F3 C3+F3
Bar 7
G7
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 D3+G3 D3+G3 D3+G3 D3+G3
Bar 8
Bb
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4
LBb2 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3

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 The Calculation

What are the letter notes for the The Calculation 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 Bb – F – G7 – Bb, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in The Calculation?

The loop is Bb – F – G7 – Bb (bVII – IV – V7 – bVII) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is The Calculation in?

C major, at about 102 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Calculation?

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

Is The Calculation 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.