Piano chords · Rock drive
My Life: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Billy Joel
- D major
- 4/4
- 132 BPM
- 1978
- Easy
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 My Life without reading music. The left hand plays heartbeat octaves (rocking octaves) and the right hand steady chords.
The intro of My Life 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.
My Life accompaniment in letter notes
The Ebmaj7 – Ebmaj7 – Bb – D – Bm – Am – Am loop with heartbeat octaves in the left hand and steady chords 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.
Play next
More by Billy Joel
The same left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Questions about My Life
What are the letter notes for the My Life 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 Ebmaj7 – Ebmaj7 – Bb – D – Bm – Am – Am, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in My Life?
The loop is Ebmaj7 – Ebmaj7 – Bb – D – Bm – Am – Am (bIImaj7 – bVI – I – vi – v – bIImaj7 – bVI) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is My Life in?
D major, at about 132 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in My Life?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is My Life easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of My Life?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.