Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
The Great Pretender: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By The Platters
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 72 BPM
- 1955
- 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 The Great Pretender without reading music. The left hand plays over-the-hill (broken chord 1-5-3-1), and the right hand sings the tune.
The catchy part of The Great 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.
The Great Pretender accompaniment in letter notes
The Eb – Eb7 – Ab – Bb7 – Eb – Ab – Eb – Fm – Bb7 loop with over-the-hill 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.
Play next
Questions about The Great Pretender
What are the letter notes for the The Great 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 Eb – Eb7 – Ab – Bb7 – Eb – Ab – Eb – Fm – Bb7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in The Great Pretender?
The loop is Eb – Eb7 – Ab – Bb7 – Eb – Ab – Eb – Fm – Bb7 (I – I7 – IV – V7 – I – IV – I – ii – V7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Fm – Bb7 – Eb.
What key is The Great Pretender in?
Eb major, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Great Pretender?
Over-the-hill: broken chord 1-5-3-1, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Great Pretender easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 9 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of The Great Pretender?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.