By Your Side Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn By Your Side in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Em7 – C – G – D
How it goes
By Your Side sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em7 is E, G, B and D; C is C, E and G; G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Em7vi7CIVGIDV
- Em7E · G · B · D
- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
176 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Mozart murmur
How it goes
Low, high, middle, high, over and over: the Mozart murmur. Musicians call it alberti bass 1-5-3-5 (alberti bass), a medium pattern heard in 186 songs of the library.
Mozart murmurAlberti bass · ClassicalLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Rocking thirds
How it goes
Two neighbouring chord notes rocking back and forth, soft and sweet. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Rocking thirdsTwo-note ostinato · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 128 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: Em – C – G
How it goes
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EmCG
- EmE · G · B

What chords are in By Your Side?

The loop is Em7 – C – G – D (vi7 – IV – I – V) in G major, and the song ends on Em – C – G.

What key is By Your Side in?

G major, at about 128 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in By Your Side?

Mozart murmur: alberti bass 1-5-3-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is By Your Side 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.

Can I hear the real melody of By Your Side?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.