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!
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!
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.
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---|
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
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.
A long, long time ago
ReplyDeleteI 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