Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Can’t Stop on piano
By Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante and Chad Smith
- G major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 2002
- Easy
Learn Can’t Stop in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em7 – Em7 – Bm – C
Can’t Stop sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em7 is E, G, B and D; Bm is B, D and F#; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Em7vi7Em7vi7BmiiiCIV- Em7E · G · B · D
- BmB · D · F#
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
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: Offbeat skank
Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: C – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
Questions about Can’t Stop
What chords are in Can’t Stop?
The loop is Em7 – Em7 – Bm – C (vi7 – iii – IV – vi7) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Can’t Stop in?
G major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Can’t Stop?
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 Stop easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Can’t Stop?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.