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Words: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Neil Young

  • A minor
  • 6/8
  • 80 BPM
  • 1971
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Pony-trot pulseRight hand Sprint-and-stop 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 Words without reading music. The left hand plays pony-trot pulse (root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4) and the right hand sprint-and-stop chords.

The intro of Words 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
Am
RE4+A4+C5 E4+A4+C5 E4+A4+C5 E4+A4+C5 E4+A4+C5 E4+A4+C5
LA2 A2 B2 C3
Bar 2
F → G
RF4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 D4+G4+B4
LF2 F2 A2 G2
Bar 3
G → Em
RD4+G4+B4 D4+G4+B4 D4+G4+B4 D4+G4+B4 D4+G4+B4 E4+G4+B4
LG2 G2 D2 E2
Bar 4
Em
RE4+G4+B4 E4+G4+B4 E4+G4+B4 E4+G4+B4
LE2 G2

Words accompaniment in letter notes

The Am – F – G – Em loop with pony-trot pulse in the left hand and sprint-and-stop chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A3 A2 A2 A3
Bar 2
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F3 F2 F2 F3
Bar 3
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G3 G2 G2 G3
Bar 4
Em
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5
LE2 E2 E3 E2 E2 E3
Bar 5
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A3 A2 A2 A3
Bar 6
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F3 F2 F2 F3
Bar 7
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G3 G2 G2 G3
Bar 8
Em
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LE2 E2 E3 E2 E2 E3

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 Words

What are the letter notes for the Words 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 Am – F – G – Em, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Words?

The loop is Am – F – G – Em (i – VI – VII – v) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.

What key is Words in?

A minor, at about 80 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in Words?

Pony-trot pulse: root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Words 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 Words?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro 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.