Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

I've Heard That Song Before: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Harry James

  • Bb major
  • 4/4
  • 100 BPM
  • 1942
  • Easy
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Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Wait-a-beat chordsChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Heard That Song Before without reading music. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand wait-a-beat chords.

The catchy part of I've Heard That Song Before 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
Bb
RBb3+D4 F3 G3 F3 G3 Db4 D4 Db4
LBb1+Bb2 F2
Bar 2
Bb
RF3+Bb3+D4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+A4 Bb3+D4+G4 G3+C4+D4
LBb1+Bb2 F2
Bar 3
Am7 → D7
RE3 G3 F#3 C#4 D4 C#4
LA1+A2 D2
Bar 4
D7
RF#3+C4+D4 Eb4+F#4+C5 D4+F#4+Bb4 C4+F#4+A4 B3+F4+G4
LA1+A2 D2

I've Heard That Song Before accompaniment in letter notes

The Bb – Bb – Am7 – D7 – D7 loop with jazz walk in the left hand and wait-a-beat chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Bb
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2 C3 Db3 D3
Bar 2
Bb
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2 C3 Db3 D3
Bar 3
Am7 → D7
RC4+E4+G4+A4 F#4+A4+C5+D5 F#4+A4+C5+D5
LA2 B2 F2 F#2
Bar 4
D7
RF#4+A4+C5+D5 F5 F#5 A5 B5 A5 F#5 F5 D5
LD2 E2 F2 F#2
Bar 5
Bb
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2 C3 Db3 D3
Bar 6
Bb
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2 C3 Db3 D3
Bar 7
Am7 → D7
RC4+E4+G4+A4 F#4+A4+C5+D5 F#4+A4+C5+D5
LA2 B2 F2 F#2
Bar 8
D7
RF#4+A4+C5+D5 F#4+A4+C5+D5 F#4+A4+C5+D5
LD2 E2 F2 F#2

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 Heard That Song Before

What are the letter notes for the I've Heard That Song Before 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 Bb – Bb – Am7 – D7 – D7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in I've Heard That Song Before?

The loop is Bb – Bb – Am7 – D7 – D7 (I – vii7 – III7 – I – vii7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – Ebm – Bb.

What key is I've Heard That Song Before in?

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

What does the left hand play in I've Heard That Song Before?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I've Heard That Song Before easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 5 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of I've Heard That Song Before?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.