Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
I’ll Cry Instead: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney
- G major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- I–V7–I–V7 loop
- 1964
- 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’ll Cry Instead without reading music. The left hand plays lazy footsteps (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4) and the right hand hopscotch bells.
I’ll Cry Instead accompaniment in letter notes
The G – D7 – G – D7 loop with lazy footsteps in the left hand and hopscotch bells 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’ll Cry Instead
What are the letter notes for the I’ll Cry Instead 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 G – D7 – G – D7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in I’ll Cry Instead?
The loop is G – D7 – G – D7 (I – V7 – I – V7) in G major, and the song ends on G – D – G.
What key is I’ll Cry Instead in?
G major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I’ll Cry Instead?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I’ll Cry Instead 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.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.