Minute By Minute: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

C major
12/8
99 BPM
Easy

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

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 Minute By Minute without reading music. The left hand plays slow-dance heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8)), and the right hand sings the tune.

The intro of Minute By Minute 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
Dm7 → C → FRA3+C4+F4 C4+E4+G4 C4+F4+A4 Eb4+Gb4+A4+C5 E4+G4+C5 D4+F4+Ab4+B4
LD1 D2 E1 E2 F1 F2 Gb1 Gb2 G1 G2 Ab1 Ab2

Bar 2
Am → GRE4+A4+C5 D4+G4+B4 C4+E4+A4 G3+Bb3+C#4+E4 A3+D4+F4 C4+E4+G4
LA1 A2 B1 B2 C2 C3 C#2 C#3 D2 D3 E1 E2

Bar 3
F7 → F#dim → CRC5+F5+A5 D#5+F#5+A5+C6 E5+G5+C6 D5+F5+Ab5+B5 E5+A5+C6 D5+G5+B5
LF2 F3 F#2 F#3 G2 G3 Ab2 Ab3 A1 A2 B1 B2

Bar 4
Am → C#dim → DmRC5+E5+A5 G4+A#4+C#5+E5 A4+D5+F5 C5+E5+G5 C5+F5+A5 Eb5+F#5+A5+C6
LC2 C3 C#2 C#3 D2 D3 E1 E2 F1 F2 F#1 F#2

Minute By Minute accompaniment in letter notes

The Dm7 – C – F – Am – G – Am – F7 – F#dim – C – Am – C#dim – Dm loop with slow-dance heartbeat in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Dm7 → C → FRD4+F4+A4 C4+E4+G4 F4+A4+C5
LD2 C3 F2 F2

Bar 2
Am → GRA3+C4+E4 G4+B4+D5 A3+C4+E4
LA2 G2 A2 A2

Bar 3
F7 → F#dim → CRF4+A4+C5 F#4+A4+C5 C4+E4+G4
LF2 F#2 C3 C3

Bar 4
Am → C#dim → DmRA3+C4+E4 C#4+E4+G4 D4+F4+A4 F4 A4 D5 F5 A5 D6 F6 A6 D7
LA2 C#3 D2 D2

Bar 5
Dm7 → C → FRD4+F4+A4 C4+E4+G4 F4+A4+C5
LD2 C3 F2 F2

Bar 6
Am → GRA3+C4+E4 G4+B4+D5 A3+C4+E4
LA2 G2 A2 A2

Bar 7
F7 → F#dim → CRF4+A4+C5 F#4+A4+C5 C4+E4+G4
LF2 F#2 C3 C3

Bar 8
Am → C#dim → DmRA3+C4+E4 C#4+E4+G4 D4+F4+A4
LA2 C#3 D2 D2

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 Minute By Minute

What are the letter notes for the Minute By Minute 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 Dm7 – C – F – Am – G – Am – F7 – F#dim – C – Am – C#dim – Dm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Minute By Minute?

The loop is Dm7 – C – F – Am – G – Am – F7 – F#dim – C – Am – C#dim – Dm (ii7 – I – IV – vi – V – vi – IV7 – #iv° – I – vi – bii° – ii) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Minute By Minute in?

C major, at about 99 beats a minute in 12/8.

What does the left hand play in Minute By Minute?

Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Minute By Minute easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 12 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Minute By Minute?

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

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