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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 — Falling Notes Piano Tutorial
About “There But For Fortune”
Watch "There But For Fortune" by Phil Ochs in falling notes style — like Synthesia. Color-coded notes fall onto the keyboard in real time. Practice left hand, right hand, or both. 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)
- Can I learn "There But For Fortune" with falling notes like Synthesia?
- Yes — Falling Notes mode shows colored note shapes dropping onto a virtual keyboard, the same visual style as Synthesia or piano-tile games. Each note's column matches the piano key you press. Works for "There But For Fortune" with hands-separate practice in G at 140 BPM.
- 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.
- Can I practice left and right hand separately for "There But For Fortune"?
- Yes! Our Top Down mode lets you isolate the left hand (bass clef), right hand (treble clef), or play both together. This makes it easy to master "There But For Fortune" one hand at a time before combining them.
- What is falling notes style for "There But For Fortune"?
- Falling notes (also known as Synthesia or piano waterfall) shows color-coded rectangles falling from the top of the screen onto a virtual keyboard. Each note's position matches the piano key you need to press. "There But For Fortune" is in the key of G at 140 BPM.
Other versions of There But For Fortune
Other arrangements of There But For Fortune
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