Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Buttons on piano
Written by Nicole Scherzinger, Jamal Jones & others
- D minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 2005
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Buttons in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A7 – Bb – A7 – Bb
How it goes
Buttons sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A7 is A, C#, E and G; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
A7V7BbVIA7V7BbVI- A7A · C# · E · G
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Groovy roots
How it goes
Notes jump around the “ands”, giving the bass a funky bounce. Musicians call it root bass · syncopated 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 363 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Candle flicker
How it goes
Two low chord notes flicker back and forth, warm like candlelight. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Bb – C – Dm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
Play next
Questions about Buttons
What chords are in Buttons?
The loop is A7 – Bb – A7 – Bb (V7 – bVI5 – V7 – bVI5) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Buttons in?
D minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Buttons?
Groovy roots: root bass · syncopated 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Buttons easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.