Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Can’t Stop: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Ryan Tedder, Jeff Bhasker and Tyler Johnson

  • A minor
  • 4/4
  • 90 BPM
  • 2013
  • Easy
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Left hand Butterfly heartbeatThe right hand sings the tuneChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 butterfly heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 4), and the right hand sings the tune.

The catchy part 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.

Bar 1
C
RE4+C5 C5 C5
LC2 C2 C3 C2 C3
Bar 2
C
RF4 G4 A4 C5 E4+G4 G4 A4 C5
LC2 C2 C3 C2 C3
Bar 3
F
RF4+A4+D5 A4 G4 C4+F4+A4 F5 E5
LF2 F2 F3 F2 F3
Bar 4
F
RB4+F5 E5 D5 C5 F4+A4 D5 E5
LF2 F3 F2 F3

Can’t Stop accompaniment in letter notes

The C – C – F – F loop with butterfly heartbeat in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C4 C3 C4
Bar 2
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C4 C3 C4
Bar 3
F
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F2 F3 F2 F3
Bar 4
F
RF4+A4+C5 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5
LF2 F2 F3 F2 F3
Bar 5
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C4 C3 C4
Bar 6
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C4 C3 C4
Bar 7
F
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F2 F3 F2 F3
Bar 8
F
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F2 F3 F2 F3

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 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 C – C – F – F, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Can’t Stop?

The loop is C – C – F – F (III – VI – III – VI) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.

What key is Can’t Stop in?

A minor, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Can’t Stop?

Butterfly heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 4, 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 catchy part 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.