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Play There But For Fortune on your own piano
Plug in your piano by USB or Bluetooth. The song waits for you until you hit the right notes. Slow it down, loop any bars, play one hand at a time.
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There But For Fortune — Visual Piano Sheet Music
About “There But For Fortune”
"There But For Fortune" in visual bar notation — see every note as a colored bar on the staff. Easier to read than traditional sheet music. Scrolls automatically as you play. Key of G, 140 BPM.
9 people have learned this song
Lyrics
Show me a (Cm)pris on,
that the show me a (Cm)jail.
Show me a (Em)pris on man whose he (Am)face is grow ing (D)pale.
And (Em)I’ll show you a young man with (C)man y rea sons (Am)why,
and (Bm)there
but for (G)for tune may (Am)go you or (D)I.
Show me an (Cm)al ley,
where the show me a (Cm)train.
Show me a (Em)ho bo who as he (Am)sleeps out in the (D)rain.
And (Em)I’ll show you a young land with (C)man y rea sons (Am)why,
and (Bm)there
but for (G)for tune may (Am)go you or (D)I.
(D)I,
or (G)I.
Practice tip
Tip: Start at 50% speed to get comfortable with the fingering, then work your way up to full tempo.
Questions about this song (9)
- Why does "There But For Fortune" show as colored bars instead of notation?
- Bar Notation replaces traditional noteheads with colored horizontal bars on a simplified staff — each bar's vertical position is the pitch and its length is the duration. Much easier to read than classic sheet music while still showing the full arrangement of "There But For Fortune".
- What key is "There But For Fortune" by Phil Ochs played in?
- There But For Fortune is arranged in the key of G on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "There But For Fortune"?
- The arrangement plays at 140 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "There But For Fortune" easy to play on piano?
- Yes — this is one of our beginner-friendly arrangements with simplified chords and color-coded notes.
- Can I download sheet music for "There But For Fortune"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "There But For Fortune"?
- "There But For Fortune" was originally performed by Phil Ochs. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What chords are used in "There But For Fortune"?
- This arrangement uses 7 chords: Am, Bm, C, Cm, D, Em, G.
- Is this real sheet music for "There But For Fortune"?
- It's a simplified visual notation using colored bars instead of traditional notes. Each bar's vertical position shows the pitch and its length shows duration — much easier to read for beginners while still showing the complete arrangement of "There But For Fortune".
- Can I see all the notes in "There But For Fortune"?
- Yes! The Bar Sheet shows every note in the arrangement as a colored bar. The sheet scrolls automatically during playback, or you can scroll manually to study any section. The song is in the key of G at 140 BPM.
Other versions of There But For Fortune
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