Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Close on piano

Written by Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter & others

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Late-knock chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn Close in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

  1. 1

    Chords: Bm – F#m – Bm – F#m

    How it goes

    Close sits in F# minor: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; F#m is F#, A and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    BmivF#miBmivF#mi
    • BmB · D · F#
    • F#mF# · A · C#
    21 songs go round the same chords
  2. 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. 3

    Right hand: Late-knock chords

    How it goes

    One chord, a long wait, then a quick knock-knock at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 123 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. 5

    Ending: D – E – F#m

    How it goes

    The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    DEF#m
    • DD · F# · A
    • EE · G# · B

Play next

Questions about Close

What chords are in Close?

The loop is Bm – F#m – Bm – F#m (iv – i – iv – i) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.

What key is Close in?

F# minor, at about 123 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Close?

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 Close 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.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.