Piano chords · Waltz garden
Once I Was: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Tim Buckley
- C major
- 3/4
- 118 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- 1968
- Easy
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 Once I Was without reading music. The left hand plays waltz roots (root bass · 3/4 quarters) and the right hand sleepy waltz chords.
Once I Was accompaniment in letter notes
The C – F – C – F loop with waltz roots in the left hand and sleepy waltz 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.
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Questions about Once I Was
What are the letter notes for the Once I Was 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 C – F – C – F, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Once I Was?
The loop is C – F – C – F (I – IV – I – IV) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Once I Was in?
C major, at about 118 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Once I Was?
Waltz roots: root bass · 3/4 quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Once I Was easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.