Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Beat It: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Michael Jackson

  • D# minor
  • 4/4
  • 135 BPM
  • 1982
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Pausing footstepsRight hand Freeze-tag chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Beat It without reading music. The left hand plays pausing footsteps (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3) and the right hand freeze-tag chords.

The main tune of Beat It 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.

Bar 1
D#m
RD#5+F#5+A#5 A#5 A#4+D#5+F#5 F#5
LF#2 A#2 F#3 D#3 E#3
Bar 2
C#
RC#5+E#5+A#5 A#5 G#4+C#5+E#5 E#5 A#5
LD#3 C#3 C#3 D#2
Bar 3
D#m
RD#5+F#5 A#5 A#5 A#5 D#5+F#5+C#6 A#5 C#6
LF#2 A#2 F#3 D#3 E#3
Bar 4
C#
RC#5+E#5 C#6 C#5+E#5 G#5
LD#3 C#3 D#2

Beat It accompaniment in letter notes

The D#m – C# – D#m – C# loop with pausing footsteps in the left hand and freeze-tag chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D#m
RF#4+A#4+D#5 F#4+A#4+D#5 F#4+A#4+D#5
LD#2 D#2 D#3
Bar 2
C#
RE#4+G#4+C#5 E#4+G#4+C#5 E#4+G#4+C#5
LC#3 C#3 C#4
Bar 3
D#m
RF#4+A#4+D#5 F#4+A#4+D#5 F#4+A#4+D#5
LD#2 D#2 D#3
Bar 4
C#
RE#4+G#4+C#5 E#4+G#4+C#5 E#4+G#4+C#5 C#4 D#4 E#4 F#4 G#4 A#4 B4 C#5
LC#3 C#3 C#4
Bar 5
D#m
RF#4+A#4+D#5 F#4+A#4+D#5 F#4+A#4+D#5
LD#2 D#2 D#3
Bar 6
C#
RE#4+G#4+C#5 E#4+G#4+C#5 E#4+G#4+C#5
LC#3 C#3 C#4
Bar 7
D#m
RF#4+A#4+D#5 F#4+A#4+D#5 F#4+A#4+D#5
LD#2 D#2 D#3
Bar 8
C#
RE#4+G#4+C#5 E#4+G#4+C#5 E#4+G#4+C#5
LC#3 C#3 C#4

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 Beat It

What are the letter notes for the Beat It 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 D#m – C# – D#m – C#, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Beat It?

The loop is D#m – C# – D#m – C# (i – VII – i – VII) in D# minor, and the song ends on B – C# – D#m.

What key is Beat It in?

D# minor, at about 135 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Beat It?

Pausing footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Beat It 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.

Can I hear the real melody of Beat It?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune 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.