Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Real Life: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Jonathan Larson
- C minor
- 2/2
- 120 BPM
- 2001
- 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 Real Life without reading music. The left hand plays lazy footsteps (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4), and the right hand sings the tune.
Real Life accompaniment in letter notes
The Fsus4 – Ebsus4 – Cm – Ab loop with lazy footsteps 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.
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Questions about Real Life
What are the letter notes for the Real Life 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 Fsus4 – Ebsus4 – Cm – Ab, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Real Life?
The loop is Fsus4 – Ebsus4 – Cm – Ab (IVsus – bIIIsus – i – bVI) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is Real Life in?
C minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Real Life?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Real Life 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.