Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s

Doin’ It To Death: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by James Brown

  • F major
  • 12/8
  • 160 BPM
  • 1973
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Slow-dance 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 Doin’ It To Death without reading music. The left hand plays slow-dance heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8)), and the right hand sings the tune.

Doin’ It To Death accompaniment in letter notes

The F7 – Gb7 – F7 – Gb7 loop with slow-dance heartbeat in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
F7
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F2 F2 F2
Bar 2
Gb7
RGb4+Bb4+Db5
LGb2 Gb2 Gb2 Gb2
Bar 3
F7
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F2 F2 F2
Bar 4
Gb7
RGb4+Bb4+Db5 Fb4 Gb4 Bb4 Db5 Fb5 Gb5 Bb5 Db6 Fb6 Gb6 Bb6 Db7
LGb2 Gb2 Gb2 Gb2
Bar 5
F7
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F2 F2 F2
Bar 6
Gb7
RGb4+Bb4+Db5
LGb2 Gb2 Gb2 Gb2
Bar 7
F7
RF4+A4+C5
LF2 F2 F2 F2
Bar 8
Gb7
RGb4+Bb4+Db5
LGb2 Gb2 Gb2 Gb2

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 Doin’ It To Death

What are the letter notes for the Doin’ It To Death 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 F7 – Gb7 – F7 – Gb7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Doin’ It To Death?

The loop is F7 – Gb7 – F7 – Gb7 (I7 – bII7 – I7 – bII7) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Doin’ It To Death in?

F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 12/8.

What does the left hand play in Doin’ It To Death?

Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Doin’ It To Death 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.

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