Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Gotta Be You on piano

Written by Steve Mac & August Rigo

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Gotta Be You in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Ab – Absus4 – Eb7 – Ab
How it goes
Gotta Be You sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Absus4 is Ab, Db and Eb; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIAbsus4Isus4Eb7V7AbI
- AbAb · C · Eb
- Absus4Ab · Db · Eb
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
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
Right hand: Late-hop chords
How it goes
Steady chords with one quick extra hop after beat 3. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Late-hop chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 85 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: Db – Eb – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb

What chords are in Gotta Be You?

The loop is Ab – Absus4 – Eb7 – Ab (I – Isus – V7 – I) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.

What key is Gotta Be You in?

Ab major, at about 85 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Gotta Be You?

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 Gotta Be You 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.