Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Rock drive

Counting Stars: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By OneRepublic

  • C# minor
  • 4/4
  • 112 BPM
  • 2013
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Heartbeat octavesRight hand Swinging bellChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Counting Stars without reading music. The left hand plays heartbeat octaves (rocking octaves) and the right hand swinging bell.

The catchy part of Counting Stars 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#m
RC#4+E4+F#4 G#4 C#4+E4+B4 G#4 F#4
LC#2 C#3 C#2 C#3 C#2 C#3 C#2 C#3
Bar 2
E
RG#3+B3+F#4 G#4 F#4 E4 F#4 B3+E4+G#4
LE2 E3 E2 E3 E2 E3 E2 E3
Bar 3
B
RB3+D#4 F#4 F#4 G#4 A4 B3+D#4 G#4 F#4 E4
LB1 B2 B1 B2 B1 B2 B1 B2
Bar 4
A
RA3+C#4+G#4 C#4 A3+C#4+E4 E4
LA1 A2 A1 A2 A1 A2 A1 A2

Counting Stars accompaniment in letter notes

The C#m – E – B – A loop with heartbeat octaves in the left hand and swinging bell in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C#m
RC#4+G#4 E4 C#4 E4 C#4 E4 C#4 E4
LC#3 C#4 C#3 C#4 C#3 C#4 C#3 C#4
Bar 2
E
RE4+B4 G#4 E4 G#4 E4 G#4 E4 G#4
LE2 E3 E2 E3 E2 E3 E2 E3
Bar 3
B
RB3+F#4 D#4 B3 D#4 B3 D#4 B3 D#4
LB2 B3 B2 B3 B2 B3 B2 B3
Bar 4
A
RA3+E4 C#4 A3 C#4 A6 E6 C#6 A5 G#5 G5 F#5 F5
LA2 A3 A2 A3 A2 A3 A2 A3
Bar 5
C#m
RC#4+G#4 E4 C#4 E4 C#4 E4 C#4 E4
LC#3 C#4 C#3 C#4 C#3 C#4 C#3 C#4
Bar 6
E
RE4+B4 G#4 E4 G#4 E4 G#4 E4 G#4
LE2 E3 E2 E3 E2 E3 E2 E3
Bar 7
B
RB3+F#4 D#4 B3 D#4 B3 D#4 B3 D#4
LB2 B3 B2 B3 B2 B3 B2 B3
Bar 8
A
RA3+E4 C#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4 A3 C#4
LA2 A3 A2 A3 A2 A3 A2 A3

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 Counting Stars

What are the letter notes for the Counting Stars 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#m – E – B – A, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Counting Stars?

The loop is C#m – E – B – A (i – III – VII – VI) in C# minor, and the song ends on A – B – C#m.

What key is Counting Stars in?

C# minor, at about 112 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Counting Stars?

Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Counting Stars 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 Counting Stars?

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

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.