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Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Shake It Out: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Florence And The Machine

  • F major
  • 4/4
  • 120 BPM
  • 2011
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Hurry-and-wait pulseRight hand Steady chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Shake It Out without reading music. The left hand plays hurry-and-wait pulse (root bass · 1 · 1a · 2&) and the right hand steady chords.

The main tune of Shake It Out 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
F → Gm
RC4+F4+C5 C5 C5 C4+F4+C5 A4 C4+F4 A4 D4+G4+D5 C5
LF1+F2 F1+F2 F1+F2 G1+G2
Bar 2
F
RC4+F4 C5 C5 C4+F4+C5 C5 C5 C4+F4+C5 A4 C4+F4 C5 C5
LF1+F2 F1+F2 F1+F2
Bar 3
F → Gm
RC4+F4+C5 C5 C5 C4+F4+C5 A4 C4+F4 A4 D4+G4+D5 C5
LF1+F2 F1+F2 F1+F2 G1+G2
Bar 4
Bb → Dm7
RD4+F4 C5 C5 D4+F4+C5 A4 D4+G4 F4 D4 C5 C5
LBb1+Bb2 Bb1+Bb2 Bb1+Bb2

Shake It Out accompaniment in letter notes

The F – Gm – F – F – Gm – Bb – Dm7 loop with hurry-and-wait pulse in the left hand and steady chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
F → Gm
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5
LF2 F2 F2
Bar 2
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F2
Bar 3
F → Gm
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5
LF2 F2 F2
Bar 4
Bb → Dm7
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 E4 F4 G4 A4 Bb4 C5 D5 E5
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2
Bar 5
F → Gm
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5
LF2 F2 F2
Bar 6
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F2
Bar 7
F → Gm
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5
LF2 F2 F2
Bar 8
Bb → Dm7
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 F4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2

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 Shake It Out

What are the letter notes for the Shake It Out 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 F – Gm – F – F – Gm – Bb – Dm7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Shake It Out?

The loop is F – Gm – F – F – Gm – Bb – Dm7 (I – ii – I – ii – IV – vi7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Shake It Out in?

F major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Shake It Out?

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 Shake It Out easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Shake It Out?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune 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.