Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Yellow Submarine: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By The Beatles

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 120 BPM
  • 1966
  • Easy
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Left hand Ping-pong bounceRight hand Run-up chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Yellow Submarine without reading music. The left hand plays ping-pong bounce (broken chord 8-5) and the right hand run-up chords.

The main tune of Yellow Submarine 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
D → D7
RF#4+A4+D5 B4 E4+G4+A4 B4
LD3 C3
Bar 2
G → Em
RB3+D4+G4 E4+G4+B4 B4
LG2 E2
Bar 3
Am
RA3+C4+A4 G4 E4 E4 E4+G4+B4 B4
LA2 C3
Bar 4
D → Em7
RD4+F#4+A4 B4 C5
LD3 G2

Yellow Submarine accompaniment in letter notes

The D – D7 – G – Em – Am – D – Em7 loop with ping-pong bounce in the left hand and run-up chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D → D7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD3 A2 D3 A2
Bar 2
G → Em
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LG3 D3 E3 B2
Bar 3
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA3 E3 A3 E3
Bar 4
D → Em7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 E4 G4 B4 D5 E5 G5 B5 D6
LD3 A2 E3 B2
Bar 5
D → D7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD3 A2 D3 A2
Bar 6
G → Em
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LG3 D3 E3 B2
Bar 7
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA3 E3 A3 E3
Bar 8
D → Em7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LD3 A2 E3 B2

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 Yellow Submarine

What are the letter notes for the Yellow Submarine 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 – D7 – G – Em – Am – D – Em7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Yellow Submarine?

The loop is D – D7 – G – Em – Am – D – Em7 (V – V7 – I – vi – ii – V – vi7) in G major, and the song ends on G – D – G.

What key is Yellow Submarine in?

G major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Yellow Submarine?

Ping-pong bounce: broken chord 8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Yellow Submarine easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Yellow Submarine?

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.