Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Chances Are: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Johnny Mathis

  • G major
  • 2/2
  • 92 BPM
  • 1957
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Heartbeat 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 Chances Are without reading music. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand heartbeat chords.

The main tune of Chances Are 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 → G7
RA4 G3 C4+E4 B3+Eb4 A4 G4
LC2+G2+E3 G2+F3
Bar 2
C → Am
RC4+E4+B4 A4 G4 E4 D4 D#3+G3 C4
LC3 A2
Bar 3
D → Bm7
RG3+B3 B3+D4 D4+F#4 F#4+A4 A3+D4+F#4 F#3+A3+D4
LD3 B2
Bar 4
E → Em
RG#3+D4+F#4 F#4 D5+F#5 C5+E5 E4 B4+D5
LE2 E3 E2

Chances Are accompaniment in letter notes

The C – G7 – C – Am – D – Bm7 – E – Em loop with jazz walk in the left hand and heartbeat chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C → G7
RG4+Bb4+C5+E5 G4+Bb4+C5+E5 D5+F5+G5+B5
LC3 D3 Bb2 B2
Bar 2
C → Am
RG4+Bb4+C5+E5 G4+Bb4+C5+E5 E4+G4+A4+C5
LC3 D3 C3 C3
Bar 3
D → Bm7
RA4+C5+D5+F#5 A4+C5+D5+F#5 F#4+A4+B4+D5
LD2 E2 D3 D3
Bar 4
E → Em
RB4+D5+E5+G#5 B4+D5+E5+G#5 F#4 G4 B4 C#5 B4 G4 G4 E4
LE2 F#2 G2 G2
Bar 5
C → G7
RG4+Bb4+C5+E5 G4+Bb4+C5+E5 D5+F5+G5+B5
LC3 D3 Bb2 B2
Bar 6
C → Am
RG4+Bb4+C5+E5 G4+Bb4+C5+E5 E4+G4+A4+C5
LC3 D3 C3 C3
Bar 7
D → Bm7
RA4+C5+D5+F#5 A4+C5+D5+F#5 F#4+A4+B4+D5
LD2 E2 D3 D3
Bar 8
E → Em
RB4+D5+E5+G#5 B4+D5+E5+G#5 B4+D5+E5+G5
LE2 F#2 G2 G2

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 Chances Are

What are the letter notes for the Chances Are 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 – G7 – C – Am – D – Bm7 – E – Em, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Chances Are?

The loop is C – G7 – C – Am – D – Bm7 – E – Em (IV – I7 – IV – ii – V – iii7 – VI – vi) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Chances Are in?

G major, at about 92 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Chances Are?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Chances Are easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 8 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Chances Are?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.