Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Bossa beach

Traffic in the Sky: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Jack Johnson

  • D major
  • 4/4
  • 80 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Bossa swayThe right hand sings the tuneChords 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 Traffic in the Sky without reading music. The left hand plays bossa sway (root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&)), and the right hand sings the tune.

Traffic in the Sky accompaniment in letter notes

The D – F#m – C – Em loop with bossa sway in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 2
F#m
RF#4+A4+C#5
LF#2 F#2 F#2 F#2
Bar 3
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 4
Em
RE4+G4+B4 E6 D6 C#6 B5 A5 G5 F#5 E5
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 5
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 6
F#m
RF#4+A4+C#5
LF#2 F#2 F#2 F#2
Bar 7
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 8
Em
RE4+G4+B4
LE2 E2 E2 E2

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 Traffic in the Sky

What are the letter notes for the Traffic in the Sky 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 – F#m – C – Em, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Traffic in the Sky?

The loop is D – F#m – C – Em (I – iii – bVII – ii) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is Traffic in the Sky in?

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

What does the left hand play in Traffic in the Sky?

Bossa sway: root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Traffic in the Sky 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.