Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play How Can I Blame You on piano
Written by John Stephens, Blake Mills & others
- D major
- 4/4
- 76 BPM
- I–V–vi–IV loop
- 2016
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn How Can I Blame You in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – A – Bm – G
How it goes
How Can I Blame You sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E; Bm is B, D and F#; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIAVBmviGIV- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- BmB · D · F#
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Stumbling footsteps
How it goes
Steady steps with one tiny stumble right before beat 3. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 146 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
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 76 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: G – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD
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Questions about How Can I Blame You
What chords are in How Can I Blame You?
The loop is D – A – Bm – G (I – V – vi – IV) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is How Can I Blame You in?
D major, at about 76 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in How Can I Blame You?
Stumbling footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is How Can I Blame You 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.