Super Simple Chords

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Just Friends: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Charlie Parker

  • G major
  • 2/2
  • 114 BPM
  • Easy
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Left hand Pausing footstepsRight hand Hopscotch 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 Just Friends without reading music. The left hand plays pausing footsteps (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3) and the right hand hopscotch chords.

The intro of Just Friends 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
Am7
RG4 G3+C4 E4 G4 G3+C4 E4
LA1+A2 A1+A2
Bar 2
D7 → Am
RF#4 F#3+C4 A3+E4+A4
LD2+D3 C2+C3
Bar 3
B7
RA4 A3+D#4 F#4 A4 A3+D#4 F#4
LB1+B2 B1+B2
Bar 4
Em
RB3+E4+G4 F#4+A4 G4+B4 G4+B4+D5
LE2+E3 D2+D3

Just Friends accompaniment in letter notes

The Am7 – D7 – Am – B7 – Em loop with pausing footsteps in the left hand and hopscotch chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am7
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4 C4+E4
LA2 A2 A3
Bar 2
D7 → Am
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4 C4+E4
LD2 D2 A3
Bar 3
B7
RD#4+F#4+B4 D#4+F#4 D#4+F#4
LB2 B2 B3
Bar 4
Em
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4 D4 E4 F#4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5
LE2 E2 E3
Bar 5
Am7
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4 C4+E4
LA2 A2 A3
Bar 6
D7 → Am
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4 C4+E4
LD2 D2 A3
Bar 7
B7
RD#4+F#4+B4 D#4+F#4 D#4+F#4
LB2 B2 B3
Bar 8
Em
RG4+B4+E5 G4+B4 G4+B4
LE2 E2 E3

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 Just Friends

What are the letter notes for the Just Friends 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 Am7 – D7 – Am – B7 – Em, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Just Friends?

The loop is Am7 – D7 – Am – B7 – Em (ii7 – V7 – ii – III7 – vi) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Just Friends in?

G major, at about 114 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Just Friends?

Pausing footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Just Friends 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 Just Friends?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro 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.