Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

It's Too Late: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Carole King

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 100 BPM
  • 1970
  • Easy
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Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Bossa chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Too Late without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)) and the right hand bossa chords.

The main tune of It's Too Late 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
Am
RA3 G3+A3+C4+E4 A3+C4+E4+G4 A3+B3+D4+F#4
LA1+A2 C2+C3 A1+A2 D2+D3
Bar 2
Em → Am7
RE3 G3 A3 A3 A3 G3 E3
LE2 G2 A2 A2 A2 G2 E2
Bar 3
Am
RA3 G3+A3+C4+E4 A3+C4+E4+G4 A3+B3+D4+F#4
LA1+A2 C2+C3 A1+A2 D2+D3
Bar 4
Em → Am7
RE3 G3 A3 A3 A3 G3 E3
LE2 G2 A2 A2 A2 G2 E2

It's Too Late accompaniment in letter notes

The Am – Em – Am7 – Am – Em – Am7 loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand and bossa chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2
Bar 2
Em → Am7
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LE2 E2 A2
Bar 3
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2
Bar 4
Em → Am7
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5
LE2 E2 A2
Bar 5
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2
Bar 6
Em → Am7
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LE2 E2 A2
Bar 7
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2
Bar 8
Em → Am7
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4+E5 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LE2 E2 A2

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 Too Late

What are the letter notes for the It's Too Late 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 Am – Em – Am7 – Am – Em – Am7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in It's Too Late?

The loop is Am – Em – Am7 – Am – Em – Am7 (vi – iii – vi7 – vi – iii – vi7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is It's Too Late in?

C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in It's Too Late?

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 Too Late easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of It's Too Late?

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.