Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Before I Let You Go on piano
Written by Colbie Caillat & Rick Nowels
- C major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–V–vi–IV loop
- 2011
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Before I Let You Go in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – G – Am – F
How it goes
Before I Let You Go sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; G is G, B and D; Am is A, C and E; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIGVAmviFIV- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
- AmA · C · E
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Tumbling heartbeat
How it goes
Quick notes tumble forward from the start and land on beat 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 112 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double island chords
How it goes
The island rhythm squeezed in twice per bar: quick and dancy. 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: Am – F – C
How it goes
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AmFC
Play next
Questions about Before I Let You Go
What chords are in Before I Let You Go?
The loop is C – G – Am – F (I – V – vi – IV) in C major, and the song ends on Am – F – C.
What key is Before I Let You Go in?
C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Before I Let You Go?
Tumbling heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Before I Let You Go 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.