Piano chords · Bossa beach
How to play Can’t Fight This Feeling on piano
Written by Kevin Cronin
- A major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- I–V–vi–V loop
- 1984
- Medium
Learn Can’t Fight This Feeling in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – E – F#m – E
Can’t Fight This Feeling sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; E is E, G# and B; F#m is F#, A and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIEVF#mviEV- AA · C# · E
- EE · G# · B
- F#mF# · A · C#
- 2
Left hand: Tiptoe seesaw
A low note, then the higher note tiptoes on every “and”. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-5-5 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 207 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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: Esus4 – E – A
The last chords are Vsus – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
Esus4EA- Esus4E · A · B
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Questions about Can’t Fight This Feeling
What chords are in Can’t Fight This Feeling?
The loop is A – E – F#m – E (I – V – vi – V) in A major, and the song ends on Esus4 – E – A.
What key is Can’t Fight This Feeling in?
A major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Can’t Fight This Feeling?
Tiptoe seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Can’t Fight This Feeling 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.