Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True): easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Elvis Presley

  • D major
  • 4/4
  • 160 BPM
  • 1956
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Learn it
Style

Left hand Island pulseRight hand Run-up chordsChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True) without reading music. The left hand plays island pulse (root bass · tresillo 3-3-2) and the right hand run-up chords.

The repeating figure of Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True) 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
G → G#
RD4+B4 D4+B4 D4+B4 D#4+B#5 E4+C#5
LG2+G3 G2+G3 G#2+G#3
Bar 2
A → G#
RE4+C#5 D#4 B#5 D#4
LA2+A3 A2 A2+A3 G#2+G#3
Bar 3
G → G#
RD4+B4 D4+B4 D4+B4 Eb4+C5 E4+C#5
LG2+G3 G2+G3 G#2+G#3
Bar 4
A
RE4+C#5 C#4+E4 B3 C#4
LA2+A3 A2 A2+A3 A2

Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True) accompaniment in letter notes

The G – G# – A – G# – G – G# – A loop with island pulse in the left hand and run-up chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G → G#
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5
LG2 G2 G#2
Bar 2
A → G#
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 B#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5
LA2 A2 G#2
Bar 3
G → G#
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5
LG2 G2 G#2
Bar 4
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4 D4 E4 F#4 G4 A4 B4 C#5
LA2 A2 A2
Bar 5
G → G#
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5
LG2 G2 G#2
Bar 6
A → G#
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 B#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5
LA2 A2 G#2
Bar 7
G → G#
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5
LG2 G2 G#2
Bar 8
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2

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.

Play next

Questions about Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True)

What are the letter notes for the Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True) 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 G – G# – A – G# – G – G# – A, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True)?

The loop is G – G# – A – G# – G – G# – A (IV – #IV – V – #IV – IV – #IV – V) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True) in?

D major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True)?

Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True) easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True)?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure 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.