Piano chords · Lullaby boat
It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Nanci Griffith
- C major
- 6/8
- 98 BPM
- IV–I–V–IV loop
- 1989
- Medium
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 It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go without reading music. The left hand plays swelling 6/8 (open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8)), and the right hand sings the tune.
It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go accompaniment in letter notes
The F – C – G – F loop with swelling 6/8 in the left hand. 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.
Play next
Questions about It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go
What are the letter notes for the It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go 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 F – C – G – F, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go?
The loop is F – C – G – F (IV – I – V – IV) in C major, and the song ends on G – F – C.
What key is It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go in?
C major, at about 98 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.