Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Determinate on piano
Artist unknown
- E major
- 4/4
- 141 BPM
- IV–V–vi–I loop
- Medium
Learn Determinate in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – B – C#m – E
Determinate sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; B is B, D# and F#; C#m is C#, E and G#; E is E, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIVBVC#mviEI- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
- C#mC# · E · G#
- EE · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 141 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
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Questions about Determinate
What chords are in Determinate?
The loop is A – B – C#m – E (IV – V – vi – I) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Determinate in?
E major, at about 141 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Determinate?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Determinate 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.