Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Can’t Stop: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante and Chad Smith
- G major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 2002
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
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 Can’t Stop without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)) and the right hand offbeat skank.
The repeating figure of Can’t Stop 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.
Can’t Stop accompaniment in letter notes
The Em7 – Em7 – Bm – C loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand and offbeat skank 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.
Questions about Can’t Stop
What are the letter notes for the Can’t Stop 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 Em7 – Em7 – Bm – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Can’t Stop?
The loop is Em7 – Em7 – Bm – C (vi7 – iii – IV – vi7) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Can’t Stop in?
G major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Can’t Stop?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Can’t Stop 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 Can’t Stop?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.