Piano chords · Bossa beach
A Long Time Ago: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Jim Croce
- G major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- vi–V–IV–I loop
- 1971
- Easy
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 A Long Time Ago without reading music. The left hand plays bossa sway (root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&)) and the right hand push chords.
A Long Time Ago accompaniment in letter notes
The Em – D – C – G loop with bossa sway in the left hand and push chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
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 A Long Time Ago
What are the letter notes for the A Long Time Ago 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 Em – D – C – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in A Long Time Ago?
The loop is Em – D – C – G (vi – V – IV – I) in G major, and the song ends on Am – D – G.
What key is A Long Time Ago in?
G major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in A Long Time Ago?
Bossa sway: root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is A Long Time Ago easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.