Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Don’t Wanna Know on piano
Artist unknown
- E minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 2016
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Don’t Wanna Know in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – D – Em – Bm
How it goes
Don’t Wanna Know sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIIIDVIIEmiBmv- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
- BmB · D · F#
- 2
Left hand: Rush-and-step pulse
How it goes
Three quick notes tumble out, a pause, then one high step on beat 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 157 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Somersault chords
How it goes
Evenly spaced chords roll across the beats, then flip into the next bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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
Ending: C – D – Em
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- CC · E · G
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Questions about Don’t Wanna Know
What chords are in Don’t Wanna Know?
The loop is G – D – Em – Bm (bIII – bVII – i – v) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Don’t Wanna Know in?
E minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Don’t Wanna Know?
Rush-and-step pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Don’t Wanna Know 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.