Piano chords · Lullaby boat
Busy Doin’ Nothing: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Johnny Burke
- D major
- 6/8
- 150 BPM
- 1948
- 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 Busy Doin’ Nothing without reading music. The left hand plays cradle pulse (root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8)) and the right hand cradle chords.
Busy Doin’ Nothing accompaniment in letter notes
The G – Em – Am – D7 loop with cradle pulse in the left hand and cradle 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 Busy Doin’ Nothing
What are the letter notes for the Busy Doin’ Nothing 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 G – Em – Am – D7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Busy Doin’ Nothing?
The loop is G – Em – Am – D7 (IV – ii – v – I7) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Busy Doin’ Nothing in?
D major, at about 150 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Busy Doin’ Nothing?
Cradle pulse: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Busy Doin’ Nothing 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.