Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play I Can't Be Your Friend on piano
By Rushlow
- D major
- 2/2
- 110 BPM
- 2002
- Easy
Learn I Can't Be Your Friend in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – D – G – A
I Can't Be Your Friend sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AVDIGIVAV- AA · C# · E
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- 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: Pausing chords
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 110 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: Asus4 – A – D
The last chords are Vsus – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
Asus4AD- Asus4A · D · E
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Questions about I Can't Be Your Friend
What chords are in I Can't Be Your Friend?
The loop is A – D – G – A (V5 – I – IV – V) in D major, and the song ends on Asus4 – A – D.
What key is I Can't Be Your Friend in?
D major, at about 110 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in I Can't Be Your Friend?
Pausing footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Can't Be Your Friend 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.