Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Ordinary People: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By John Legend
- F major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 2004
- 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 Ordinary People without reading music. The left hand plays hurry-and-wait pulse (root bass · 1 · 1a · 2&) and the right hand wobbly chords.
The catchy part of Ordinary People 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.
Ordinary People accompaniment in letter notes
The Bbmaj7 – Ebmaj7 – Ebmaj7 – Fmaj7 loop with hurry-and-wait pulse in the left hand and wobbly 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 Ordinary People
What are the letter notes for the Ordinary People 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 Bbmaj7 – Ebmaj7 – Ebmaj7 – Fmaj7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Ordinary People?
The loop is Bbmaj7 – Ebmaj7 – Ebmaj7 – Fmaj7 (IVmaj7 – bVIImaj7 – Imaj7 – IVmaj7) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Ordinary People in?
F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Ordinary People?
Hurry-and-wait pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ordinary People 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.
Can I hear the real melody of Ordinary People?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.