Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Pretender: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Jackson Browne

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 100 BPM
  • 1976
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Late-knock chordsChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Pretender without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)) and the right hand late-knock chords.

The opening of Pretender 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
G
RD4+G4+B4+D5 D4+G4+B4
LG1 G2 G2 G1
Bar 2
G
RE4+G4+C5 D4+G4+B4 C4+E4+A4 D4+G4+B4 G3+C4+E4
LG1 G2 C2
Bar 3
C
RB5 D5 G5 D5
LC2 E3
Bar 4
C
RB5 D5 G5 D5 B4 B4 C5
Lrest

Pretender accompaniment in letter notes

The G – G – C – C loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand and late-knock chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2
Bar 2
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2
Bar 3
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 4
C
RE4+G4+C5 C4 D4 E4 F#4 G4 A4 B4 C5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 5
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2
Bar 6
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2
Bar 7
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 8
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
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 Pretender

What are the letter notes for the Pretender 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 G – G – C – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Pretender?

The loop is G – G – C – C (I – IV – I – IV) in G major, and the song ends on G – C – G.

What key is Pretender in?

G major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Pretender?

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 Pretender 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 Pretender?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the opening 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.