Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Cautionary Tale on piano
Artist unknown
- F major
- 4/4
- 117 BPM
- Medium
Learn Cautionary Tale in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – G – Dm – C
Cautionary Tale sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; G is G, B and D; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CVGIIDmviCV- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
- DmD · F · A
- 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: Gear-shift chords
Quick even chords that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 117 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: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
Questions about Cautionary Tale
What chords are in Cautionary Tale?
The loop is C – G – Dm – C (V – II – vi – V) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Cautionary Tale in?
F major, at about 117 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Cautionary Tale?
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 Cautionary Tale 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.