Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play I Can't Stand It on piano
By Eric Clapton
- C major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1981
- Easy
Learn I Can't Stand It in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – F – G7 – Am
I Can't Stand It sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; F is F, A and C; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviFIVG7V7Amvi- AmA · C · E
- FF · A · C
- G7G · B · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Late-hop footsteps
Steady low-high steps with one quick extra hop after beat 3. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 659 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Freeze-tag chords
Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: F – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
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Questions about I Can't Stand It
What chords are in I Can't Stand It?
The loop is Am – F – G7 – Am (vi – IV – V7 – vi) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is I Can't Stand It in?
C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I Can't Stand It?
Late-hop footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Can't Stand It 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.