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Piano chords · Lullaby boat

Rosie’s Lullaby: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Norah Jones

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Cradle pulseThe right hand sings the tuneChords 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 Rosie’s Lullaby without reading music. The left hand plays cradle pulse (root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8)), and the right hand sings the tune.

Rosie’s Lullaby accompaniment in letter notes

The D – A – E – F#m loop with cradle pulse in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D3 D2
Bar 2
A
RA3+C#4+E4
LA2 A3 A2
Bar 3
E
RE4+G#4+B4
LE2 E3 E2
Bar 4
F#m
RF#4+A4+C#5 F#4 A4 C#5 F#5 A5 C#6
LF#2 F#3 F#2
Bar 5
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D3 D2
Bar 6
A
RA3+C#4+E4
LA2 A3 A2
Bar 7
E
RE4+G#4+B4
LE2 E3 E2
Bar 8
F#m
RF#4+A4+C#5
LF#2 F#3 F#2

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 Rosie’s Lullaby

What are the letter notes for the Rosie’s Lullaby 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 D – A – E – F#m, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Rosie’s Lullaby?

The loop is D – A – E – F#m (bVI – bIII – bVII – i) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.

What key is Rosie’s Lullaby in?

F# minor, at about 83 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in Rosie’s Lullaby?

Cradle pulse: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Rosie’s Lullaby 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.