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It's The Hard-Knock Life: piano accompaniment sheet music
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 144 BPM
- 1977
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
It's The Hard-Knock Life written out as piano music: the iv7 – biii7 – iv7 – biii7 loop in Bb major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays lazy footsteps (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4) and the right hand steady chords.
It's The Hard-Knock Life chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in Bb 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 | Ebm7 | iv7 | Eb Gb Bb Db |
| 3 | Dbm7 | biii7 | Db Fb Ab Cb |
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: lazy footsteps (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4) in the left hand and steady chords in the right, over the Ebm7 – Ebm7 – Dbm7 – Dbm7 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.
To see the real melody written out, play “The part you know”: the sheet music changes to it.
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Questions about It's The Hard-Knock Life
Does the sheet music for It's The Hard-Knock Life 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 It's The Hard-Knock Life?
The loop is Ebm7 – Ebm7 – Dbm7 – Dbm7 (iv7 – biii7 – iv7 – biii7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – F7 – Bb.
What key is It's The Hard-Knock Life in?
Bb major, at about 144 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in It's The Hard-Knock Life?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is It's The Hard-Knock Life 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 It's The Hard-Knock Life?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.