Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

I’ll Be There For You: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by David Crane, Marta Kauffman & others

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Island pulseRight hand Late-knock chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

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’ll Be There For You without reading music. The left hand plays island pulse (root bass · tresillo 3-3-2) and the right hand late-knock chords.

The catchy part of I’ll Be There For You 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.

Bar 1
G
RD4+B4 B4 B4 A4 C5
LG2+D3 G2+D3
Bar 2
G
RB4 A4 G4
LG2+D3 G2+D3
Bar 3
G
RD4+B4 B4 B4 A4 C5
LG2+D3 G2+D3
Bar 4
G
RB4 A4 G4
LG2+D3 G2+D3

I’ll Be There For You accompaniment in letter notes

The D – E – A – D loop with island pulse in the left hand and late-knock chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D2
Bar 2
E
RG#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5
LE2 E2 E2
Bar 3
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2
Bar 4
D
RF#4+A4+D5 C#4 D4 E4 F#4 G#4 A4 B4 C#5
LD2 D2 D2
Bar 5
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D2
Bar 6
E
RG#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5
LE2 E2 E2
Bar 7
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2
Bar 8
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D2

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’ll Be There For You

What are the letter notes for the I’ll Be There For You 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 D – E – A – D, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in I’ll Be There For You?

The loop is D – E – A – D (IV – V – I – IV) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.

What key is I’ll Be There For You in?

A major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in I’ll Be There For You?

Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I’ll Be There For You 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’ll Be There For You?

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.