Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play The Letter on piano
By Wayne Carson Thompson
- A minor
- 4/4
- 134 BPM
- 1967
- Medium
Learn The Letter in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – F – Am7 – D7
The Letter sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; F is F, A and C; Am7 is A, C, E and G; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiFVIAm7i7D7IV7- AmA · C · E
- FF · A · C
- Am7A · C · E · G
- D7D · F# · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Yo-yo bounce
A long high root, a dip down, and back up like a yo-yo. Musicians call it broken chord 8-5-8 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 629 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 134 BPM
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: F – G – Am
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm- GG · B · D
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Questions about The Letter
What chords are in The Letter?
The loop is Am – F – Am7 – D7 (i – VI – i7 – IV7) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is The Letter in?
A minor, at about 134 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Letter?
Yo-yo bounce: broken chord 8-5-8, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Letter easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of The Letter?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.