Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
Girlfriend: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Matthew Sweet
- D major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1991
- Medium
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 Girlfriend without reading music. The left hand plays hammering bass (broken chord 8-8), and the right hand sings the tune.
The intro of Girlfriend 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.
Girlfriend accompaniment in letter notes
The G7 – Gsus4 – D – D – C – C – G7 – Gsus4 – D – D – C loop with hammering bass in the left hand. 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 Girlfriend
What are the letter notes for the Girlfriend 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 G7 – Gsus4 – D – D – C – C – G7 – Gsus4 – D – D – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Girlfriend?
The loop is G7 – Gsus4 – D – D – C – C – G7 – Gsus4 – D – D – C (IV7 – IVsus4 – I – bVII – IV7 – IVsus4 – I – bVII – IV7 – IVsus4 – I) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Girlfriend in?
D major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Girlfriend?
Hammering bass: broken chord 8-8, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Girlfriend easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 11 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Girlfriend?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro 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.