Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Hot N Cold on piano
By Katy Perry
- G major
- 4/4
- 132 BPM
- I–V–ii–IV loop
- 2008
- Medium
Learn Hot N Cold in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – D – Am – C
Hot N Cold sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; Am is A, C and E; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIDVAmiiCIV- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- AmA · C · E
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium 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 132 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: Am – C – G
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AmCG
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Questions about Hot N Cold
What chords are in Hot N Cold?
The loop is G – D – Am – C (I – V – ii – IV) in G major, and the song ends on Am – C – G.
What key is Hot N Cold in?
G major, at about 132 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Hot N Cold?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hot N Cold 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.