Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
It’s Only A Paper Moon: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Harold Arlen
- G major
- 4/4
- 116 BPM
- I–biio–ii–V7 loop
- 1933
- 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 It’s Only A Paper Moon without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)) and the right hand sprint-and-stop chords.
It’s Only A Paper Moon accompaniment in letter notes
The G – G#dim – Am – D7 loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand and sprint-and-stop chords 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 It’s Only A Paper Moon
What are the letter notes for the It’s Only A Paper Moon 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 – G#dim – Am – D7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in It’s Only A Paper Moon?
The loop is G – G#dim – Am – D7 (I – biio – ii – V7) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is It’s Only A Paper Moon in?
G major, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in It’s Only A Paper Moon?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is It’s Only A Paper Moon 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 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.