If you’re just starting to learn how to play piano, Let It Be is a great song to play first! In this lesson, we’ll share Let It Be piano chords and give you tips on how to play one of the most iconic songs in modern history.
Let It Be is a fantastic first song to learn because it uses one of the most popular chord progressions ever and it’s in C major! So, you don’t have to worry about any sharps and flats. But you’ll also be introduced to key ingredients that make up countless other songs.
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> Download Let It Be Piano Chords PDF
This song was written in the key of C major and these are the chords:
Verse:
C – G – Am – F
C – G – F – C
Chorus:
Am – G – F – C
C – G – F – C
You can either look at these chords as they’re written above or see them as numerical values.
If “numerical value” sounds confusing, don’t worry. It’s as easy as counting up each tone in the major scale. C would be I (the first note of the C major scale), and G would be V (the fifth note of the C major scale).
So you can look at these chords like this:
Verse:
I – V – vi – IV
I – V – IV – I
Chorus:
vi – V – IV – I
I – V – IV – I
The advantage of using numbers is that you aren’t locked into a specific key. So, if you want to play Let It Be in D major, all you have to do is substitute the I chord of D major (D-F#-A) in place of the C chord.
You can learn more about this number system here.
Here’s a summary of our Let It Be piano chords:
Key | C Major |
Verse: Chord Symbols | C – G – Am – F C – G – F – C |
Verse: Number System | I – V – vi – IV I – V – IV – I |
Chorus: Chord Symbols | Am – G – F – C C – G – F – C |
Chorus: Number System | vi – V – IV – I I – V – IV – I |
Rhythmically, the chorus is locked down by a consistent quarter-note pulse. This means it’s time to get your metronome out! Challenge yourself by practicing at a few different tempos. Remember: start slow to play fast. Don’t up your tempo until you’re comfortable at your current one. It’s better to be consistent and accurate than fast and sloppy.
If you’re learning chord inversions, this is a great song to practice inversions with. For example, try going from the 2nd inversion of C to the root position of G. Inversions allow you to shortcut the transitions between chords.
C
2nd Inversion
G
1st Inversion
This is a challenge we gave professional pianist Sangah Noona. She’s beloved on YouTube for her cocktail piano videos and Beatles covers. Watch and get inspired!
Psst: if you like Sangah’s style, check out her course on Pianote!
There are a few iconic transitions in this piece you might like to learn. For example, in the verse, the bass does a small walk-down from Am to F using the notes A-G-F:
There’s also this walkdown from F to C using the notes F-E-D-C.
Finally, there’s a fancy-sounding riff at the end of the chorus. It’s essentially an exercise in inversions:
F – 2nd Inversion
C – Root Position
F – 1st Inversion
C – 3rd Inversion
G – Root Position
F – Root Position
C – Root Position
Then, play the same riff an octave higher. This mimics the riff in the original recording played on the organ.
Want to take your Let It Be piano chords to the next level? Here are some practice ideas:
We hope you enjoyed this tutorial for Let It Be! If you want more Beatles, try our tutorial on Hey Jude.
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Jordan Leibel is passionate about songwriting, improvisation, and helping you become a creative musician! He’s worked as a composer for film, commercial, and theatre projects as well as a session musician and producer for recording work.
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