Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Zombie: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By The Cranberries

  • E minor
  • 4/4
  • 120 BPM
  • 1994
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Drumming bassRight hand Deep-breath 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 Zombie without reading music. The left hand plays drumming bass (broken chord 1-1) and the right hand deep-breath chords.

The bass riff of Zombie 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
G
RG3+B3+D4+E4
LG2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 A2 G2
Bar 2
Dsus4
RA3+D4+E4
LF#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 F#2 G2 F#2 G2
Bar 3
Em
RG4 E5 D5 B4 B4
LE2 E2 E2 E2 E2 E2 E2 E2
Bar 4
C
RE4+D5 C5 B4 A4 A4 A4
LC3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3

Zombie accompaniment in letter notes

The G – Dsus4 – Em – C loop with drumming bass in the left hand and deep-breath chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 A2
Bar 2
Dsus4
RG4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 E2
Bar 3
Em
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LE2 E2 E2 E2 E2 E2 E2 F#2
Bar 4
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4 G4 C5 E5 G5 C6 E6 G6
LC3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 D3
Bar 5
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 A2
Bar 6
Dsus4
RG4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5 G4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 E2
Bar 7
Em
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5
LE2 E2 E2 E2 E2 E2 E2 F#2
Bar 8
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 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.

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Questions about Zombie

What are the letter notes for the Zombie 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 G – Dsus4 – Em – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Zombie?

The loop is G – Dsus4 – Em – C (III – VIIsus4 – i – VI) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.

What key is Zombie in?

E minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Zombie?

Drumming bass: broken chord 1-1, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Zombie 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 Zombie?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the bass riff 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.