Piano chords · Rock drive
Under Pressure: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Queen & David Bowie
- D major
- 4/4
- 112 BPM
- 1981
- Medium
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 Under Pressure without reading music. The left hand plays engine 8ths (root bass · 8ths) and the right hand pop stabs.
The repeating figure of Under Pressure 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.
Under Pressure accompaniment in letter notes
The D – A – G – A loop with engine 8ths in the left hand and pop stabs 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.
Play next
Questions about Under Pressure
What are the letter notes for the Under Pressure 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 – A – G – A, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Under Pressure?
The loop is D – A – G – A (I – V – IV – V) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Under Pressure in?
D major, at about 112 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Under Pressure?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Under Pressure 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 Under Pressure?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.