Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Don’t Know Why: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Norah Jones
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 84 BPM
- 2002
- Easy
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 Know Why without reading music. The left hand plays drowsy heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4&) and the right hand double-clap chords.
The main tune of Don’t Know Why 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.
Don’t Know Why accompaniment in letter notes
The Bb – Eb – D – Gm – Cm – Gm7 – Bb loop with drowsy heartbeat in the left hand and double-clap chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
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 Know Why
What are the letter notes for the Don’t Know Why 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 Bb – Eb – D – Gm – Cm – Gm7 – Bb, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Don’t Know Why?
The loop is Bb – Eb – D – Gm – Cm – Gm7 – Bb (I – IV – III – vi – ii – vi7 – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on C7 – F7 – Bb.
What key is Don’t Know Why in?
Bb major, at about 84 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Don’t Know Why?
Drowsy heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Don’t Know Why 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 Know Why?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 8 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.