Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Hard Times: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Ray Charles
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Hard Times written out as piano music: the bVI7 – V7 – IV – I loop in Eb major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays pausing footsteps (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3) and the right hand freeze-tag chords.
Hard Times chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in Eb major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cb7 | bVI7 | Cb Eb Gb Bbb |
| 2 | Bb7 | V7 | Bb D F Ab |
| 3 | Ab | IV | Ab C Eb |
| 4 | Eb | I | Eb G Bb |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: pausing footsteps (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3) in the left hand and freeze-tag chords in the right, over the Cb7 – Bb7 – Ab – Eb chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
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Questions about Hard Times
Does the sheet music for Hard Times have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
What chords are in Hard Times?
The loop is Cb7 – Bb7 – Ab – Eb (bVI7 – V7 – IV – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Ab7 – Eb.
What key is Hard Times in?
Eb major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Hard Times?
Pausing footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hard Times 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.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.