Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Can't We Be Friends on piano
- C# minor
- 4/4
- 73 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Can't We Be Friends in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A7 – C# – Edim – D#m
How it goes
Can't We Be Friends sits in C# minor: C# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A7 is A, C#, E and G; C# is C#, E# and G#; Edim is E, G and Bb; D#m is D#, F# and A#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
A7VI7C#IEdimiii°D#mii- A7A · C# · E · G
- C#C# · E# · G#
- EdimE · G · Bb
- D#mD# · F# · A#
- 2
Left hand: Lazy footsteps
How it goes
One long low note, then two calm steps to finish the bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Clockwork chords
How it goes
Four quick, even chords per short bar, ticking like clockwork. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 73 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: A – B – C#m
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABC#m- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
- C#mC# · E · G#
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Questions about Can't We Be Friends
What chords are in Can't We Be Friends?
The loop is A7 – C# – Edim – D#m (bVI7 – I – biiio – ii) in C# minor, and the song ends on A – B – C#m.
What key is Can't We Be Friends in?
C# minor, at about 73 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Can't We Be Friends?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Can't We Be Friends 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.