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Hell In A Bucket: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Brent Mydland & Bob Weir

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 134 BPM
  • 1987
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Island pulseRight hand Springy chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Hell In A Bucket without reading music. The left hand plays island pulse (root bass · tresillo 3-3-2) and the right hand springy chords.

Hell In A Bucket accompaniment in letter notes

The Bb – F – Bb – C loop with island pulse in the left hand and springy chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Bb
RF4+A4+C5 Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2
Bar 2
F
RC5+E5+G5 F5+A5 C5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5
LF2 F2 F2
Bar 3
Bb
RF4+A4+C5 Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2
Bar 4
C
RG4+B4+D5 C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5 E5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 5
Bb
RF4+A4+C5 Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2
Bar 6
F
RC5+E5+G5 F5+A5 C5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5 C5+F5+A5
LF2 F2 F2
Bar 7
Bb
RF4+A4+C5 Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5 F4+Bb4+D5
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2
Bar 8
C
RG4+B4+D5 C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5 G4+C5+E5
LC3 C3 C3

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 Hell In A Bucket

What are the letter notes for the Hell In A Bucket 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 Bb – F – Bb – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Hell In A Bucket?

The loop is Bb – F – Bb – C (bVII – IV – bVII – I) in C major, and the song ends on Bb – F – C.

What key is Hell In A Bucket in?

C major, at about 134 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Hell In A Bucket?

Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Hell In A Bucket 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.