How to play Happy on piano

Learn Happy in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: E – B – E – B
Happy sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIBVEIBV
- EE · G# · B
- BB · D# · F#
144 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Hop-skip heartbeat
Three steps, then a quick hop that skips right over beat 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 250 songs of the library.
Hop-skip heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Deep-breath chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
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: E – B – E
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EBE

What chords are in Happy?

The loop is E – B – E – B (I – V – I – V) in E major, and the song ends on E – B – E.

What key is Happy in?

E major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Happy?

Hop-skip heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Happy 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.