Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play I Didn't Know What Time It Was on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn I Didn't Know What Time It Was in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: F#m7 – B7 – A – Am – Em – Bm
How it goes
I Didn't Know What Time It Was sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: F#m7 is F#, A, C# and E; B7 is B, D#, F# and A; A is A, C# and E; Am is A, C and E; Em is E, G and B; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F#m7vii7B7III7AIIAmiiEmviBmiii
- F#m7F# · A · C# · E
- B7B · D# · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- AmA · C · E
- EmE · G · B
- BmB · D · F#
69 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Walking roots
How it goes
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Walking rootsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Hopscotch bells
How it goes
A high bell note, a chord, a skipped beat, and one more chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hopscotch bellsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 80 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: C – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG
- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D

What chords are in I Didn't Know What Time It Was?

The loop is F#m7 – B7 – A – Am – Em – Bm (vii7 – III7 – II – ii – vi – iii) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is I Didn't Know What Time It Was in?

G major, at about 80 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in I Didn't Know What Time It Was?

Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I Didn't Know What Time It Was easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of I Didn't Know What Time It Was?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.