Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Only Mama Knows: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Paul McCartney

  • E minor
  • 4/4
  • 66 BPM
  • 2007
  • Easy
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Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Sleep-in chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Only Mama Knows without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)) and the right hand sleep-in chords.

Only Mama Knows accompaniment in letter notes

The Em – Cdim – C#m – Cdim loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand and sleep-in chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Em
RB4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 C#5+F#5+A#5
LE2 E2 E2
Bar 2
Cdim
RGb4+C5+Eb5 Gb4+C5+Eb5 A4+D5+Gb5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 3
C#m
RG#4+C#5+E5 G#4+C#5+E5 A#4+D#5+F##5
LC#3 C#3 C#3
Bar 4
Cdim
RD4 E4 Gb4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 5
Em
RB4+E5+G5 B4+E5+G5 C#5+F#5+A#5
LE2 E2 E2
Bar 6
Cdim
RGb4+C5+Eb5 Gb4+C5+Eb5 A4+D5+Gb5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 7
C#m
RG#4+C#5+E5 G#4+C#5+E5 A#4+D#5+F##5
LC#3 C#3 C#3
Bar 8
Cdim
RGb4+C5+Eb5 Gb4+C5+Eb5 A4+D5+Gb5
LC3 C3 C3

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 Only Mama Knows

What are the letter notes for the Only Mama Knows 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 Em – Cdim – C#m – Cdim, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Only Mama Knows?

The loop is Em – Cdim – C#m – Cdim (i – bvio – vi – bvio) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.

What key is Only Mama Knows in?

E minor, at about 66 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Only Mama Knows?

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 Only Mama Knows 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.