Piano chords · Rock drive
I Can’t Help Myself: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Grant Cunningham & Matt Huesmann
- A major
- 4/4
- 122 BPM
- 2003
- 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 I Can’t Help Myself without reading music. The left hand plays heartbeat octaves (rocking octaves) and the right hand offbeat skank.
The catchy part of I Can’t Help Myself 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.
I Can’t Help Myself accompaniment in letter notes
The A – F#m – D – E loop with heartbeat octaves in the left hand and offbeat skank in the right. 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.
Play next
The same left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Questions about I Can’t Help Myself
What are the letter notes for the I Can’t Help Myself 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 A – F#m – D – E, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in I Can’t Help Myself?
The loop is A – F#m – D – E (I – vi – IV – V) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is I Can’t Help Myself in?
A major, at about 122 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I Can’t Help Myself?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Can’t Help Myself 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.
Can I hear the real melody of I Can’t Help Myself?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part 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.