Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s

Forever: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Mariah Carey

  • Ab major
  • 12/8
  • 95 BPM
  • 1995
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Slow-dance heartbeatThe right hand sings the tuneChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Forever 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.

The catchy part of Forever 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
Ab → Fm
RC4 Eb4 Ab4 C4+Eb4+C5 Bb3+Db4 C4+Eb4 C4+Bb4 Ab4 Ab3 C4+C5 Ab4 F4
LAb1+Ab2 Ab2 Eb2 F2 Eb2
Bar 2
Db → Dbm
RF3+Db4 F4 Ab4 Db4+F4+Db5 Ab4 F4 Fb4+C5+Eb5 Fb4 Ab4 Db4+Bb4+Db5 Ab4 Fb4
LDb2 Db2 Db2 Db3 Fb2
Bar 3
Ab → Fm
RC4 Eb4 Ab4 C4+Eb4+C5 Db4 Eb4 C4+Bb4 Ab4 Ab3 C4+C5 Ab4 F4
LAb2 Ab2 G2 F2 Eb2
Bar 4
Db → Dbm
RF3+Db4 F4 Ab4 Db4+F4+Db5 Ab4 F4 Db4+C5 Fb4 Ab4 Db4+Bb4+Db5 Ab4 Fb4
LDb2 Db2 Db2 Eb2 Bb2

Forever accompaniment in letter notes

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

Bar 1
Ab → Fm
RAb4+C5+Eb5 F4+Ab4+C5
LAb2 Ab2 F2 F2
Bar 2
Db → Dbm
RDb4+F4+Ab4 Db4+Fb4+Ab4
LDb3 Db3 Db3 Db3
Bar 3
Ab → Fm
RAb4+C5+Eb5 F4+Ab4+C5
LAb2 Ab2 F2 F2
Bar 4
Db → Dbm
RDb4+F4+Ab4 F4 Ab4 Db5 F5 Ab5 Db6 F6 Ab6 Db7
LDb3 Db3 Db3 Db3
Bar 5
Ab → Fm
RAb4+C5+Eb5 F4+Ab4+C5
LAb2 Ab2 F2 F2
Bar 6
Db → Dbm
RDb4+F4+Ab4 Db4+Fb4+Ab4
LDb3 Db3 Db3 Db3
Bar 7
Ab → Fm
RAb4+C5+Eb5 F4+Ab4+C5
LAb2 Ab2 F2 F2
Bar 8
Db → Dbm
RDb4+F4+Ab4 Db4+Fb4+Ab4
LDb3 Db3 Db3 Db3

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 Forever

What are the letter notes for the Forever 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 Ab – Fm – Db – Dbm – Ab – Fm – Db – Dbm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Forever?

The loop is Ab – Fm – Db – Dbm – Ab – Fm – Db – Dbm (I – vi – IV – iv – I – vi – IV – iv) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.

What key is Forever in?

Ab major, at about 95 beats a minute in 12/8.

What does the left hand play in Forever?

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 Forever 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 Forever?

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

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