Let It Be

How to play "Let It Be" on Gesture Synth

Let It Be is built on the most famous chord progression in pop music: C, G, Am, F — the I–V–vi–IV. If you learn this one loop, you unlock a huge slice of the songbook, because several other songs here use the same four chords.

At 72 BPM it is slower and more spacious than Riptide, which gives you room to think. The chorus swaps the order of the loop, so the song also teaches you to re-orient a pattern you thought you knew.

Difficulty: Beginner

The I–V–vi–IV loop, played slowly with a satisfying chorus variation.

Verse (bars 1–8)

C → G → Am → F, twice. The loop is so regular you can practically close your eyes — one chord per bar, never a surprise.

Chorus (bars 9–16)

C → G → F → C, then Am → G → F → C. The F gets promoted to beat 1 and the loop resolves home sooner. It is the same four chords in a different order, which is the whole trick of the song.

Practice tips

• All four chords are triads — right hand on 1 finger the entire song.
• The chorus reordering is the only real challenge; mark bars 9–12 and practice that loop separately before playing the whole song.
• Use the slow tempo to work on your wrist-tilt transitions: coming from G, the F and Am both need a clean flip.

Keep going

Once you can play "Let It Be" from memory, try these next:

• With or Without You · U2
• Riptide · Vance Joy
• The Scientist · Coldplay