Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Best That I Can on piano
Written by Vance Joy
- Bb major
- 6/8
- 86 BPM
- I–ii–IV–I loop
- 2014
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Best That I Can in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Cm – Eb – Bb
How it goes
Best That I Can sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbICmiiEbIVBbI- BbBb · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
How it goes
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Cradle chords
How it goes
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 86 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: Cm – Eb – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CmEbBb
Play next
Questions about Best That I Can
What chords are in Best That I Can?
The loop is Bb – Cm – Eb – Bb (I – ii – IV – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Cm – Eb – Bb.
What key is Best That I Can in?
Bb major, at about 86 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Best That I Can?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Best That I Can 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.