Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Cups (When I'm Gone): easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Anna Kendrick

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 127 BPM
  • 2013
  • Easy
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Left hand Wobbly heartbeatThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Cups (When I'm Gone) without reading music. The left hand plays wobbly heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2& · 3& · 4), and the right hand sings the tune.

The main tune of Cups (When I'm Gone) 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
RC5 A4 G4 A4 G4 C4 D4
LC3 C4 C4 C3
Bar 2
C
RC5 A4 G4 A4 G4 C4 D4
LC3 C4 C4 C3
Bar 3
C
RC5 A4 G4 A4 G4 C4 D4
LC3 C4 C4 C3
Bar 4
C
RC5 A4 G4 A4 G4 C4 D4
LC3 C4 C4 C3

Cups (When I'm Gone) accompaniment in letter notes

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

Bar 1
Am
RA3+C4+E4
LA2 A2 A2 A2
Bar 2
G
RG4+B4+D5
LG2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 3
F
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F2 F2 F2
Bar 4
Dm
RD4+F4+A4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5
LD2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 5
Am
RA3+C4+E4
LA2 A2 A2 A2
Bar 6
G
RG4+B4+D5
LG2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 7
F
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F2 F2 F2
Bar 8
Dm
RD4+F4+A4
LD2 D2 D2 D2

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 Cups (When I'm Gone)

What are the letter notes for the Cups (When I'm Gone) 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 Am – G – F – Dm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Cups (When I'm Gone)?

The loop is Am – G – F – Dm (vi – V – IV – ii) in C major, and the song ends on Dm – G – C.

What key is Cups (When I'm Gone) in?

C major, at about 127 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Cups (When I'm Gone)?

Wobbly heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2& · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Cups (When I'm Gone) 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 Cups (When I'm Gone)?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune 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.