Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
If: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Bread
- A major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1971
- Medium
If written out as piano music: the I7 – ii7 – I – I7 loop in A major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays dreamy wave (open arpeggio 1-5-9-10) and the right hand late-knock chords.
If chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in A 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 | A7 | I7 | A C# E G |
| 2 | Bm7 | ii7 | B D F# A |
| 4 | A | I | A C# E |
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: dreamy wave (open arpeggio 1-5-9-10) in the left hand and late-knock chords in the right, over the A7 – Bm7 – Bm7 – A 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.
To see the real melody written out, play “The part you know”: the sheet music changes to it.
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Questions about If
Does the sheet music for If 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 If?
The loop is A7 – Bm7 – Bm7 – A (I7 – ii7 – I – I7) in A major, and the song ends on A – Bm – A.
What key is If in?
A major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in If?
Dreamy wave: open arpeggio 1-5-9-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is If 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.
Can I hear the real melody of If?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the bass riff 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.