Piano chords · Old-time stride
Friend Like Me: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Alan Menken
- D minor
- 4/4
- 150 BPM
- 1992
- 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 Friend Like Me without reading music. The left hand plays stride jumps (stride) and the right hand wait-a-beat chords.
The main tune of Friend Like Me 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.
Friend Like Me accompaniment in letter notes
The A7 – Dm – A7 – Dm loop with stride jumps in the left hand and wait-a-beat 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 Friend Like Me
What are the letter notes for the Friend Like Me 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 A7 – Dm – A7 – Dm, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Friend Like Me?
The loop is A7 – Dm – A7 – Dm (V7 – i – V7 – i) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Friend Like Me in?
D minor, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Friend Like Me?
Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Friend Like Me easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Friend Like Me?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.