Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
I Can't Get Started: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Ira Gershwin
- C major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- I–vi–ii–V7 loop
- 1935
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
I Can't Get Started written out as piano music: the I – vi – ii – V7 loop in C major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays open sky (open arpeggio 1-5-10) and the right hand steady chords.
I Can't Get Started chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in C 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 | C | I | C E G |
| 2 | Am | vi | A C E |
| 3 | Dm | ii | D F A |
| 4 | G7 | V7 | G B D F |
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: open sky (open arpeggio 1-5-10) in the left hand and steady chords in the right, over the C – Am – Dm – G7 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 I Can't Get Started
Does the sheet music for I Can't Get Started 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 I Can't Get Started?
The loop is C – Am – Dm – G7 (I – vi – ii – V7) in C major, and the song ends on Dm – G7 – C.
What key is I Can't Get Started in?
C major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I Can't Get Started?
Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Can't Get Started easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.