Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Present Tense: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Thom Yorke, Jonathan Greenwood & others
- G# minor
- 4/4
- 92 BPM
- 2016
- 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 Present Tense without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)), and the right hand sings the tune.
Present Tense accompaniment in letter notes
The A# – Gm – Cm – Csus4 loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand. 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.
Questions about Present Tense
What are the letter notes for the Present Tense 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 A# – Gm – Cm – Csus4, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Present Tense?
The loop is A# – Gm – Cm – Csus4 (II – vii – iii – IIIsus) in G# minor, and the song ends on E – F# – G#m.
What key is Present Tense in?
G# minor, at about 92 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Present Tense?
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 Present Tense 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.