Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Catch & Release on piano
By Matt Simons
- E major
- 4/4
- 105 BPM
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Catch & Release in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – C#m – G#m – E
Catch & Release sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; C#m is C#, E and G#; G#m is G#, B and D#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIC#mviG#miiiEI- EE · G# · B
- C#mC# · E · G#
- G#mG# · B · D#
- 2
Left hand: Walking roots
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Swinging lantern
Two notes far apart swing back and forth like a lantern in the wind. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 105 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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
Play next
Questions about Catch & Release
What chords are in Catch & Release?
The loop is E – C#m – G#m – E (I – vi – iii – I) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Catch & Release in?
E major, at about 105 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Catch & Release?
Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Catch & Release 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.