Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
The Erie Canal: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Eric Baumgartner
- D minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- i–bVI7–V7–i loop
- Easy
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 Erie Canal without reading music. The left hand plays pausing footsteps (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3) and the right hand pausing chords.
The Erie Canal accompaniment in letter notes
The Dm – Bb7 – A7 – Dm loop with pausing footsteps in the left hand and pausing chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
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 Erie Canal
What are the letter notes for the The Erie Canal 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 – Bb7 – A7 – Dm, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in The Erie Canal?
The loop is Dm – Bb7 – A7 – Dm (i – bVI7 – V7 – i) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is The Erie Canal in?
D minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Erie Canal?
Pausing footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Erie Canal 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.