Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How Long: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Paul Carrack
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 128 BPM
- 1974
- 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 How Long without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)), and the right hand sings the tune.
The catchy part of How Long 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.
How Long accompaniment in letter notes
The Cm – Gm7 – Fm – Fm – Gm7 loop with pop heartbeat 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 How Long
What are the letter notes for the How Long 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 Cm – Gm7 – Fm – Fm – Gm7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in How Long?
The loop is Cm – Gm7 – Fm – Fm – Gm7 (vi – iii7 – ii – iii7 – vi) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is How Long in?
Eb major, at about 128 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in How Long?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is How Long easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 5 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of How Long?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.