Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Express Yourself on piano
By Madonna
- G major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1989
- Medium
Learn Express Yourself in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – C – C – C – C
Express Yourself sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FbVIICIVCIVCIVCIV- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- 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: Running-late chords
Misses beat 1, then hurries in with busy chords around the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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
Ending: F – C – G
The last chords are bVII – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FCG- GG · B · D
Play next
Questions about Express Yourself
What chords are in Express Yourself?
The loop is F – C – C – C – C (bVII – IV – bVII – IV) in G major, and the song ends on F – C – G.
What key is Express Yourself in?
G major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Express Yourself?
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 Express Yourself easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Express Yourself?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the bass riff of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.