Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
Don’t Worry, Be Happy: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Bobby McFerrin
- A minor
- 4/4
- 138 BPM
- 1988
- 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 Worry, Be Happy without reading music. The left hand plays double-tap drop (broken chord 8-8-5) and the right hand double-clap chords.
The intro of Don’t Worry, Be Happy 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 Worry, Be Happy accompaniment in letter notes
The C – C – Am – Dm – Dm loop with double-tap drop 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.
Play next
Questions about Don’t Worry, Be Happy
What are the letter notes for the Don’t Worry, Be Happy 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 C – C – Am – Dm – Dm, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Don’t Worry, Be Happy?
The loop is C – C – Am – Dm – Dm (III – i – iv – III – i) in A minor, and the song ends on Bm – D – A.
What key is Don’t Worry, Be Happy in?
A minor, at about 138 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Don’t Worry, Be Happy?
Double-tap drop: broken chord 8-8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Don’t Worry, Be Happy easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 5 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Don’t Worry, Be Happy?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.