American Pie by Don McLean | Piano Letter Notes

Are you looking to play American Pie by Don McLean on the piano, using easy letter notes, but aren’t sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place! This timeless track is a favorite for many, and with our easy piano letter notes, you’ll be playing it in no time. Whether you’re a beginner or just looking for a quick way to learn, our simple format breaks down the song so it’s fun and effortless to master. Ready to get started? Keep reading, and you’ll find the letter notes waiting for you below!
4|c-------------------------|
3|--------A---A-a-a-g-f-g---|

4|c---c-c-c-c---------------|
3|------------A-A-A-A-a-a-g-|

4|----------c-c-c-----------|
3|f-c---------------A---A-A-|

3|a-a-g-f-g-----a-g-f-d-f-d-|

3|f-e-d---g---------------f-|

3|d-f-d-f-e-d---d-c---------|

4|------------------------c-|

4|d---c---c-c---------------|
3|------------A---g---g-a-A-|

3|----a---A---a---A---a-f-g-|

3|----------f-f-f---e-f-----|

4|------------------------d-|
3|e-c-----------------------|

4|c-c-----c-c-------c-c---d-|
3|------------A-a-----------|

3|----a---A-a-------A---a-A-|

3|a---A-----a-------f-d-f---|

3|d---f-d---f---------a-----|

3|--a-----Aag---------a-A---|

4|d---------------------c---|
3|----a---a---a---A---a-----|

4|--------d-----------------|
3|A-a---------a-a---a---A---|

4|--c-----------------------|
3|a---------a-A---a---g-f-f-|

4|------------f-f---f---f---|
3|--a-g---------------------|

4|f-f-g---e-c-------a-f-d-f-|

4|d-c---c-c-----c---c-d-----|
3|----------a---------------|

4|--------------------c-----|
3|a-a-g---a-A---a-A-g---a---|

4|--------------f---d-c-c---|
3|g-------a-a---------------|

4|c-d-c---------------------|
3|------a-----f---f---------|

3|--a---A-------a-------f---|

4|--------------c-c-c-d-c---|
American Pie by Don McLean Piano / Keyboard Easy Letter Notes for Beginners
Congratulations! You’ve now reached the end of our guide to playing American Pie by Don McLean on the piano. With the easy piano letter notes provided, you have everything you need to bring this beloved song to life, whether you’re practicing alone or performing for friends and family. Remember, learning piano is all about patience, practice, and passion. Take your time mastering each part of the song, and don’t worry if it doesn’t sound perfect at first—every great musician started somewhere!

As you become more comfortable, try experimenting with your own style and dynamics to make the song truly your own. And don’t forget, music is meant to be enjoyed, so celebrate your progress and have fun along the way.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to explore the rest of our collection of easy piano letter notes for more of your favorite songs. There’s always another melody waiting to be learned! Keep practicing, keep playing, and most importantly, keep sharing your love of music with the world. Happy playing!

Quick guide on how to read the letter notes

how to read and play the letter notes
Each group of letter notes is played from left to right, and vertical letters on the same column are played together.

The numbers in front of each line are the octave, each octave has an unique color so you can easily follow them.

Lowercase (a b c d e f g) letters are natural notes (white keys, a.k.a A B C D E F G ).
Uppercase (A C D F G) letters are the sharp notes (black keys a.k.a. A# C# D# F# G#), look at the image below to see where each letter note is on the piano keyboard.

The lines / dashes (-) between letters indicates timing to play the notes. Just listen to the audio file at the top of the post to figure out the time lenght of the dashes (usually 5-6 dashes is about 1 second)

RH / LH means Right Hand / Left Hand and it's mostly for people who play the piano, it tells them with what hand to play the lines. Also, if you want to play a easy version of the song, playing only the RH lines does exactly that, because on most songs RH notes are for melody and LH notes are for bass.
piano letters notation and octaves

1 Comments

Are the letter notes posted on this page wrong? Are they too hard or you know how to improve them? Leave a comment with your opinion.

  1. A long, long time ago
    I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
    And I knew if I had my chance
    That I could make those people dance
    And maybe they'd be happy for a while

    But February made me shiver
    With every paper I'd deliver
    Bad news on the doorstep
    I couldn't take one more step

    I can't remember if I cried
    When I read about his widowed bride
    But something touched me deep inside
    The day the music died

    So bye, bye, Miss American Pie
    Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
    And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye
    Singin' this'll be the day that I die
    This'll be the day that I die

    Did you write the book of love
    And do you have faith in God above
    If the Bible tells you so?
    Now do you believe in rock and roll?
    Can music save your mortal soul?
    And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

    Well, I know that you're in love with him
    'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
    You both kicked off your shoes
    Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

    I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
    With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
    But I knew I was out of luck
    The day the music died

    I started singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie
    Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
    Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye
    Singin' this'll be the day that I die
    This'll be the day that I die

    Now for ten years we've been on our own
    And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
    But that's not how it used to be
    When the jester sang for the king and queen
    In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
    And a voice that came from you and me

    Oh, and while the king was looking down
    The jester stole his thorny crown
    The courtroom was adjourned
    No verdict was returned

    And while Lennin read a book on Marx
    The quartet practiced in the park
    And we sang dirges in the dark
    The day the music died

    We were singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie
    Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
    Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye
    Singin' this'll be the day that I die
    This'll be the day that I die

    Helter skelter in a summer swelter
    The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
    Eight miles high and falling fast
    It landed foul on the grass
    The players tried for a forward pass
    With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

    Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
    While the sergeants played a marching tune
    We all got up to dance
    Oh, but we never got the chance

    'Cause the players tried to take the field
    The marching band refused to yield
    Do you recall what was revealed
    The day the music died?

    We started singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie
    Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
    Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye
    And singin' this'll be the day that I die
    This'll be the day that I die

    Oh, and there we were all in one place
    A generation lost in space
    With no time left to start again
    So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
    Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
    'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

    Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
    My hands were clenched in fists of rage
    No angel born in Hell
    Could break that Satan's spell

    And as the flames climbed high into the night
    To light the sacrificial rite
    I saw Satan laughing with delight
    The day the music died

    He was singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie
    Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
    Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye
    And singin' this'll be the day that I die
    This'll be the day that I die

    I met a girl who sang the blues
    And I asked her for some happy news
    But she just smiled and turned away
    I went down to the sacred store
    Where I'd heard the music years before
    But the man there said the music wouldn't play

    And in the streets, the children screamed
    The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
    But not a word was spoken
    The church bells all were broken

    And the three men I admire most
    The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
    They caught the last train for the coast
    The day the music died

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