Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Why on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Why in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: Fmaj7 – G – C – C – Am7
How it goes
Why sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: Fmaj7 is F, A, C and E; G is G, B and D; C is C, E and G; Am7 is A, C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Fmaj7IVmaj7GVCICIAm7vi7
- Fmaj7F · A · C · E
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
- Am7A · C · E · G
95 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Island pulse
How it goes
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Island pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Fairy lights
How it goes
A chord, then two bright notes blinking like fairy lights. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Fairy lightsTwo-note ostinato · BalladRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 80 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
5
Ending: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
- FF · A · C

What chords are in Why?

The loop is Fmaj7 – G – C – C – Am7 (IVmaj7 – V – I – vi7 – IVmaj7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Why in?

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

What does the left hand play in Why?

Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Why easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Why?

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.