Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play So Emotional on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn So Emotional in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – D – Bm – Em
How it goes
So Emotional sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CVIDVIIBmvEmi
- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- EmE · G · B
2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Soft chordsBlock chords · BalladRight handEasy
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: C – D – Em
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm

What chords are in So Emotional?

The loop is C – D – Bm – Em (bVI – bVII – v – i) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.

What key is So Emotional in?

E minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in So Emotional?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is So Emotional easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.