Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Bossa beach

Wish You Were Here: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Roger Waters & David Gilmour

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 125 BPM
  • 1975
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Bossa swayRight hand Sleep-in chordsChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Wish You Were Here without reading music. The left hand plays bossa sway (root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&)) and the right hand sleep-in chords.

The main tune of Wish You Were Here 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.

Bar 1
Em
RG3+B3+D4 G3 A3 B3 D4
LG2 G2 A2 B2 D3
Bar 2
Em
RG3+B3+E4 G3+B3+E4
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 3
Em
RB3+E4+G4 G3+B3+E4
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 4
G
RG3+B3+D4 G3+B3+D4
LD3 G2 G2 G2

Wish You Were Here accompaniment in letter notes

The Em – Em – Em – G loop with bossa sway in the left hand and sleep-in chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Em
RB4+D5+E5+G5 B4+D5+E5+G5 C#5+D5+F#5+A#5
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 2
Em
RB4+D5+E5+G5 B4+D5+E5+G5 C#5+D5+F#5+A#5
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 3
Em
RB4+D5+E5+G5 B4+D5+E5+G5 C#5+D5+F#5+A#5
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 4
G
RF#6 E6 D6 C6 B5 A5 G5 F#5
LG2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 5
Em
RB4+D5+E5+G5 B4+D5+E5+G5 C#5+D5+F#5+A#5
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 6
Em
RB4+D5+E5+G5 B4+D5+E5+G5 C#5+D5+F#5+A#5
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 7
Em
RB4+D5+E5+G5 B4+D5+E5+G5 C#5+D5+F#5+A#5
LE2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 8
G
RD5+F#5+G5+B5 D5+F#5+G5+B5 E5+F#5+A5+C#6
LG2 G2 G2 G2

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 Wish You Were Here

What are the letter notes for the Wish You Were Here 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 Em – Em – Em – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Wish You Were Here?

The loop is Em – Em – Em – G (vi – I – vi – I) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Wish You Were Here in?

G major, at about 125 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Wish You Were Here?

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 Wish You Were Here 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.

Can I hear the real melody of Wish You Were Here?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune 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.