Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Paperback Writer on piano
By The Beatles
- G major
- 4/4
- 150 BPM
- 1966
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Paperback Writer in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – D – Em – C
How it goes
Paperback Writer sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIDVEmviCIV- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Hurrying footsteps
How it goes
Calm steps in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 642 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hurrying chords
How it goes
Calm chords in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 150 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: C – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG
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Questions about Paperback Writer
What chords are in Paperback Writer?
The loop is G – D – Em – C (I – V – vi – IV) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Paperback Writer in?
G major, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Paperback Writer?
Hurrying footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Paperback Writer 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.