Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

One Thing: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Scott Anderson & James Black

  • Ab major
  • 4/4
  • 72 BPM
  • 2003
  • Easy
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Left hand Pop heartbeatThe right hand sings the tuneChords 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 One Thing without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)), and the right hand sings the tune.

The intro of One Thing 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
Ab
RAb4 Eb4 Ab3 Ab4 Eb4 Ab3 F4 Eb4 Ab3 F4 Eb4 Ab3
LAb2 Ab2
Bar 2
Db → Ab
RDb5 F4 Eb4 Db5 F4 Eb4 Ab4
LAb3 Ab2
Bar 3
Ab
RAb4 Eb4 Ab3 Ab4 Eb4 Ab3 F4 Eb4 Ab3 F4 Eb4 Ab3
LAb2 Ab2
Bar 4
Db → Ab
RDb5 F4 Eb4 Db5 F4 Eb4 Ab4
LAb3 Ab2

One Thing accompaniment in letter notes

The Ab – Db – Ab – Ab – Db – Ab loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Ab
RAb4+C5+Eb5
LAb2 Ab2 Ab2
Bar 2
Db → Ab
RDb4+F4+Ab4 Ab4+C5+Eb5
LDb3 Db3 Ab2
Bar 3
Ab
RAb4+C5+Eb5
LAb2 Ab2 Ab2
Bar 4
Db → Ab
RDb4+F4+Ab4 Db4 Eb4 F4 G4 Ab4 Bb4 C5 Db5
LDb3 Db3 Ab2
Bar 5
Ab
RAb4+C5+Eb5
LAb2 Ab2 Ab2
Bar 6
Db → Ab
RDb4+F4+Ab4 Ab4+C5+Eb5
LDb3 Db3 Ab2
Bar 7
Ab
RAb4+C5+Eb5
LAb2 Ab2 Ab2
Bar 8
Db → Ab
RDb4+F4+Ab4 Ab4+C5+Eb5
LDb3 Db3 Ab2

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.

Questions about One Thing

What are the letter notes for the One Thing 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 Ab – Db – Ab – Ab – Db – Ab, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in One Thing?

The loop is Ab – Db – Ab – Ab – Db – Ab (I – IV – I – IV – I – IV) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.

What key is One Thing in?

Ab major, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in One Thing?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is One Thing easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of One Thing?

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.