Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Valley Of Tears: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Buddy Holly

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Rock’n’roll rockerRight hand Wait-a-beat chordsChords 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 Valley Of Tears without reading music. The left hand plays rock’n’roll rocker (rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle) and the right hand wait-a-beat chords.

Valley Of Tears accompaniment in letter notes

The F – F7 – Bb – F loop with rock’n’roll rocker in the left hand and wait-a-beat chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
F
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LF2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3 F2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3
Bar 2
F7
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LF2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3 F2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3
Bar 3
Bb
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2+F3 Bb2+F3 Bb2+G3 Bb2+G3 Bb2+F3 Bb2+F3 Bb2+G3 Bb2+G3
Bar 4
F
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 Ab4 A4 C5 D5 C5 A4 Ab4 F4
LF2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3 F2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3
Bar 5
F
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LF2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3 F2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3
Bar 6
F7
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LF2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3 F2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3
Bar 7
Bb
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2+F3 Bb2+F3 Bb2+G3 Bb2+G3 Bb2+F3 Bb2+F3 Bb2+G3 Bb2+G3
Bar 8
F
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LF2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3 F2+C3 F2+C3 F2+D3 F2+D3

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 Valley Of Tears

What are the letter notes for the Valley Of Tears 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 F – F7 – Bb – F, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Valley Of Tears?

The loop is F – F7 – Bb – F (I – I7 – IV – I) in F major, and the song ends on C – Bb – F.

What key is Valley Of Tears in?

F major, at about 82 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Valley Of Tears?

Rock’n’roll rocker: rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Valley Of Tears 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.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.