Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Film & wonder

C’est La Vie: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Emerson, Lake & Palmer

  • F major
  • 4/4
  • 130 BPM
  • Medium
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Left hand Rising tideThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

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 C’est La Vie without reading music. The left hand plays rising tide (open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12), and the right hand sings the tune.

The intro of C’est La Vie 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
Dm
RA3 A4 D4 E4 F4 D4 A3
LD2
Bar 2
Dm
RA3 A4 D4 E4 F4 D4 A3
LD2
Bar 3
Dm
RA3 A4 D4 E4 F4 D4 A3
LD2
Bar 4
Dm
RA3 A4 D4 E4 F4 D4 A3
LD2

C’est La Vie accompaniment in letter notes

The Dm – C – Gm – C7 loop with rising tide in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Dm
RD4+F4+A4
LD2 A2 D3 F3 A3
Bar 2
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 G3 C4 E4 G4
Bar 3
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5
LG2 D3 G3 Bb3 D4
Bar 4
C7
RC4+E4+G4 E6 C6 Bb5 G5 E5 C5 Bb4 G4
LC3 G3 C4 E4 G4
Bar 5
Dm
RD4+F4+A4
LD2 A2 D3 F3 A3
Bar 6
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 G3 C4 E4 G4
Bar 7
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5
LG2 D3 G3 Bb3 D4
Bar 8
C7
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 G3 C4 E4 G4

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 C’est La Vie

What are the letter notes for the C’est La Vie 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 Dm – C – Gm – C7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in C’est La Vie?

The loop is Dm – C – Gm – C7 (vi – V – ii – V7) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is C’est La Vie in?

F major, at about 130 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in C’est La Vie?

Rising tide: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is C’est La Vie easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of C’est La Vie?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro 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.