Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play I Don’t Want To Be on piano
Written by Gavin Degraw
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 76 BPM
- IV–I–V–vi loop
- 2003
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I Don’t Want To Be in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Eb – Bb – Cm
How it goes
I Don’t Want To Be sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIVEbIBbVCmvi- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb
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Questions about I Don’t Want To Be
What chords are in I Don’t Want To Be?
The loop is Ab – Eb – Bb – Cm (IV – I – V – vi) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is I Don’t Want To Be in?
Eb major, at about 76 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I Don’t Want To Be?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Don’t Want To Be 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.