Piano chords · Lullaby boat
I’ve Gotta Be Me: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Walter Marks
- C major
- 6/8
- 126 BPM
- ii–V7–I–IV loop
- 1967
- Medium
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’ve Gotta Be Me without reading music. The left hand plays swelling 6/8 (open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8)) and the right hand pendulum swing.
I’ve Gotta Be Me accompaniment in letter notes
The Dm – G7 – C – F loop with swelling 6/8 in the left hand and pendulum swing 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’ve Gotta Be Me
What are the letter notes for the I’ve Gotta Be Me 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 Dm – G7 – C – F, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in I’ve Gotta Be Me?
The loop is Dm – G7 – C – F (ii – V7 – I – IV) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is I’ve Gotta Be Me in?
C major, at about 126 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in I’ve Gotta Be Me?
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 I’ve Gotta Be Me 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.