Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Get It Right The First Time on piano
Written by Billy Joel
- F major
- 4/4
- 108 BPM
- I–V7–IV–I loop
- 1977
- Medium
Learn Get It Right The First Time in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – C7 – Bb – F
Get It Right The First Time sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIC7V7BbIVFI- FF · A · C
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Galloping heartbeat
Ta-DUM, ta-DUM: quick pickups into beats 2 and 4, like hooves. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 115 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 108 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: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- CC · E · G
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Questions about Get It Right The First Time
What chords are in Get It Right The First Time?
The loop is F – C7 – Bb – F (I – V7 – IV – I) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Get It Right The First Time in?
F major, at about 108 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Get It Right The First Time?
Galloping heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Get It Right The First Time 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.