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Don’t: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Elvis Presley

  • F major
  • 12/8
  • 68 BPM
  • 1957
  • Easy
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Left hand Lazy footstepsRight hand Soft 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 Don’t without reading music. The left hand plays lazy footsteps (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4) and the right hand soft chords.

The main tune of Don’t 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
C7 → Dm7
RBb3+E4 D5 C5 A4 G4
LC3 C2
Bar 2
F → F7
RA3+C4+F4 A3+C4 A3+C4 A3+C4 A3+C4 A3+C4 C4+Eb4+A4 C5 C4+Eb4+A4 F4
LF2 A2 C3 F2 G2 A2
Bar 3
Bb → Gm
RBb3+D4+G4 Bb3+D4 Bb3+D4 D3+F3+Bb3 D3+F3 D3+F3 F3+Bb3+D4 F4 Bb3+E4+G4 A4
LBb2 A2 G2 C2 D2 E2
Bar 4
F → Dm
RA3+C4+F4 A3+C4 A3+C4 A3+C4 A3+C4 A3+C4 A3+D4 A3+D4 A3+D4 A3+D4 A3+D4 A3+D4
LF2 F2 E2 D2 D2 E2 F2

Don’t accompaniment in letter notes

The C7 – Dm7 – F – F7 – Bb – Gm – F – Dm loop with lazy footsteps in the left hand and soft chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C7
RG4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5
LC3 C4 C3
Bar 2
Dm7
RA4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5
LD2 D3 D2
Bar 3
F
RC5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5
LF2 F3 F2
Bar 4
F7
RC5+F5+A5 E4 F4 G4 A4 Bb4 C5 D5 E5
LF2 F3 F2
Bar 5
Bb
RF4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5
LBb2 Bb3 Bb2
Bar 6
Gm
RD5+G5+Bb5 D5+G5+Bb5 D5+G5+Bb5
LG2 G3 G2
Bar 7
F
RC5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5
LF2 F3 F2
Bar 8
Dm
RA4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5 A4+D5+F5
LD2 D3 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 Don’t

What are the letter notes for the Don’t 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 C7 – Dm7 – F – F7 – Bb – Gm – F – Dm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Don’t?

The loop is C7 – Dm7 – F – F7 – Bb – Gm – F – Dm (V7 – vi7 – I – I7 – IV – ii – I – vi) in F major, and the song ends on F – Bb7 – F.

What key is Don’t in?

F major, at about 68 beats a minute in 12/8.

What does the left hand play in Don’t?

Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Don’t 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 Don’t?

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

Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.