Piano chords · Lullaby boat
I Have Nothing: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by David Foster & Linda Thompson-Jenner
- Bb major
- 12/8
- 78 BPM
- 1992
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
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 Have Nothing without reading music. The left hand plays cradle pulse (root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8)) and the right hand cradle chords.
The main tune of I Have Nothing 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 Have Nothing accompaniment in letter notes
The Dm7 – Gm7 – Eb – Cm7 – Dm7 – Gm7 – Cm7 – Gm7 loop with cradle pulse in the left hand and cradle chords 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.
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Questions about I Have Nothing
What are the letter notes for the I Have Nothing 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 Dm7 – Gm7 – Eb – Cm7 – Dm7 – Gm7 – Cm7 – Gm7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in I Have Nothing?
The loop is Dm7 – Gm7 – Eb – Cm7 – Dm7 – Gm7 – Cm7 – Gm7 (iii7 – vi7 – IV – ii7 – iii7 – vi7 – ii7 – vi7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F7 – Bb.
What key is I Have Nothing in?
Bb major, at about 78 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in I Have Nothing?
Cradle pulse: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Have Nothing easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 8 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of I Have Nothing?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.