Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Rock drive

The Little Things: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Colbie Caillat

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 80 BPM
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Engine 8thsThe right hand sings the tuneChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 Little Things without reading music. The left hand plays engine 8ths (root bass · 8ths), and the right hand sings the tune.

The catchy part of The Little Things 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 → D
RG3+D4 G3+B3 G3+D4 G3+B3 G3 G3 G3 A3 A3 G3 G3
LG1 G1 G2 G1 D2 D2 D3 D2
Bar 2
Em → C
RG3+D4 G3+B3 G3+D4 G3+B3 G3+C4+E4 D4 D4 C4 C4 B3 B3 A3
LE2 E2 E3 E2 C2 C2 C2 A1
Bar 3
G → D
RG3+D4 G3+B3 G3+D4 G3+B3 A3+D4 C4 C4 C4 B3 A3 G3
LG1 G1 G2 G1 D2 D2 D3 D2
Bar 4
Em → C
RG3+D4 G3+B3 G3+D4 G3+B3 G3+C4+E4 D4 D4 C4 C4 B3
LE2 E2 E3 E2 C2 C2 C2 A1

The Little Things accompaniment in letter notes

The G – D – Em – C – G – D – Em – C loop with engine 8ths in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G → D
RG4+B4+D5 D4+F#4+A4
LG2 G2 G2 G2 D2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 2
Em → C
RE4+G4+B4 C4+E4+G4
LE2 E2 E2 E2 C3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 3
G → D
RG4+B4+D5 D4+F#4+A4
LG2 G2 G2 G2 D2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 4
Em → C
RE4+G4+B4 G6 E6 C6 G5 F#5 F5 E5 Eb5
LE2 E2 E2 E2 C3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 5
G → D
RG4+B4+D5 D4+F#4+A4
LG2 G2 G2 G2 D2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 6
Em → C
RE4+G4+B4 C4+E4+G4
LE2 E2 E2 E2 C3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 7
G → D
RG4+B4+D5 D4+F#4+A4
LG2 G2 G2 G2 D2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 8
Em → C
RE4+G4+B4 C4+E4+G4
LE2 E2 E2 E2 C3 C3 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.

Play next

Questions about The Little Things

What are the letter notes for the The Little Things 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 – D – Em – C – G – D – Em – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in The Little Things?

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

What key is The Little Things in?

G major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Little Things?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Little Things easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of The Little Things?

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