Piano chords · Film & wonder
If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You): piano accompaniment sheet music
By Billy Joel
- A major
- 4/4
- 72 BPM
- I–IV–I–ii loop
- 1973
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You) written out as piano music: the I – IV – I – ii loop in A major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays rising tide (open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12) and the right hand steady chords.
If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You) 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 | A | I | A C# E |
| 2 | D | IV | D F# A |
| 3 | A | I | A C# E |
| 4 | Bm | ii | 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: rising tide (open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12) in the left hand and steady chords in the right, over the A – D – A – Bm 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 If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You)
Does the sheet music for If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You) 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 I Only Had The Words (To Tell You)?
The loop is A – D – A – Bm (I – IV – I – ii) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You) in?
A major, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You)?
Rising tide: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You) 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.