Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Gonna on piano
Written by Craig Wiseman & Luke Laird
- E major
- 4/4
- 150 BPM
- I–vi–IV–I loop
- Medium
Learn Gonna in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – C#m – A – E
Gonna sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; C#m is C#, E and G#; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIC#mviAIVEI- EE · G# · B
- C#mC# · E · G#
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Pausing footsteps
Three even steps, then a quiet beat to breathe. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 150 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: C#m – A – E
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
C#mAE
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Questions about Gonna
What chords are in Gonna?
The loop is E – C#m – A – E (I – vi – IV – I) in E major, and the song ends on C#m – A – E.
What key is Gonna in?
E major, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Gonna?
Pausing footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Gonna 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.