Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Don't Be Shy on piano

By Cat Stevens

Play the full song with sheet music
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Skip-and-stroll chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn Don't Be Shy in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: A – E – D – E

    Don't Be Shy sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; E is E, G# and B; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    AIEVDIVEV
    • AA · C# · E
    • EE · G# · B
    • DD · F# · A
    69 songs go round the same chords
  2. 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.

    Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
  3. 3

    Right hand: Skip-and-stroll chords

    A skippy push at the start, then calm chords on 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

    Skip-and-stroll chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
  4. 4

    Both hands at 120 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. 5

    Ending: D – E – A

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    DEA

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Questions about Don't Be Shy

What chords are in Don't Be Shy?

The loop is A – E – D – E (I – V – IV – V) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.

What key is Don't Be Shy in?

A major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Don't Be Shy?

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 Don't Be Shy 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.