Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Be Honest: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Jason Mraz & Michael Natter

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Doorbell ding-dongRight hand Sleep-in chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Be Honest without reading music. The left hand plays doorbell ding-dong (broken chord 8-8-5-5) and the right hand sleep-in chords.

Be Honest accompaniment in letter notes

The Em – A7 – D – Bm loop with doorbell ding-dong in the left hand and sleep-in chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Em
RB4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 C#5+F#5+A#5
LE3 E3 B2 B2
Bar 2
A7
RE4+A4+C#5 E4+A4+C#5 F#4+B4+D#5
LA3 A3 E3 E3
Bar 3
D
RA4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5 B4+E5+G#5
LD3 D3 A2 A2
Bar 4
Bm
RF#4 B4 D5 F#5 B5 D6 F#6 B6
LB3 B3 F#3 F#3
Bar 5
Em
RB4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 C#5+F#5+A#5
LE3 E3 B2 B2
Bar 6
A7
RE4+A4+C#5 E4+A4+C#5 F#4+B4+D#5
LA3 A3 E3 E3
Bar 7
D
RA4+D5+F#5 A4+D5+F#5 B4+E5+G#5
LD3 D3 A2 A2
Bar 8
Bm
RF#4+B4+D5 F#4+B4+D5 G#4+C#5+E#5
LB3 B3 F#3 F#3

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 Be Honest

What are the letter notes for the Be Honest 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 – A7 – D – Bm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Be Honest?

The loop is Em – A7 – D – Bm (ii – V7 – I – vi) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is Be Honest in?

D major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Be Honest?

Doorbell ding-dong: broken chord 8-8-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Be Honest 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.