Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Can't Let Go on piano
By Anthony Hamilton
- F major
- 4/4
- 128 BPM
- 2005
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Can't Let Go in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – F7 – Bm – Eb7
How it goes
Can't Let Go sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bm is B, D and F#; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmviF7I7Bm#ivEb7bVII7- DmD · F · A
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- BmB · D · F#
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
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 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: Bb – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
Play next
Questions about Can't Let Go
What chords are in Can't Let Go?
The loop is Dm – F7 – Bm – Eb7 (vi – I7 – #iv – bVII7) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Can't Let Go in?
F major, at about 128 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Can't Let Go?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Can't Let 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.