Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
We’ve Only Just Begun: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Carpenters
- A major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1970
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
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 We’ve Only Just Begun without reading music. The left hand plays island pulse (root bass · tresillo 3-3-2) and the right hand soft chords.
The intro of We’ve Only Just Begun 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.
We’ve Only Just Begun accompaniment in letter notes
The A – Dmaj7 – A – Dmaj7 loop with island pulse in the left hand and soft chords in the right. 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 We’ve Only Just Begun
What are the letter notes for the We’ve Only Just Begun 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 A – Dmaj7 – A – Dmaj7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in We’ve Only Just Begun?
The loop is A – Dmaj7 – A – Dmaj7 (I – IVmaj7 – I – IVmaj7) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is We’ve Only Just Begun in?
A major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in We’ve Only Just Begun?
Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is We’ve Only Just Begun 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.
Can I hear the real melody of We’ve Only Just Begun?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 8 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.