Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
Applause: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Lady Gaga
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 140 BPM
- Medium
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 Applause without reading music. The left hand plays hammering bass (broken chord 8-8) and the right hand pop stabs.
The repeating figure of Applause in letter notes
The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.
Applause accompaniment in letter notes
The Ab – Bbm – Ab – Gb loop with hammering bass in the left hand and pop stabs 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 Applause
What are the letter notes for the Applause 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 Ab – Bbm – Ab – Gb, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Applause?
The loop is Ab – Bbm – Ab – Gb (bVII – i – bVII – bVI) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is Applause in?
Bb major, at about 140 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Applause?
Hammering bass: broken chord 8-8, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Applause easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Applause?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.