Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Better on piano
Written by Jason Howland
- E major
- 4/4
- 88 BPM
- 2005
- Medium
Learn Better in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – Am – E – C#m
Better sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; Am is A, C and E; E is E, G# and B; C#m is C#, E and G#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIVAmivEIC#mvi- AA · C# · E
- AmA · C · E
- EE · G# · B
- C#mC# · E · G#
- 2
Left hand: Island pulse
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 88 BPM
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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- BB · D# · F#
Play next
Questions about Better
What chords are in Better?
The loop is A – Am – E – C#m (IV – iv – I – vi) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Better in?
E major, at about 88 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Better?
Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Better 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.