Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play I Knew You Were Trouble on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn I Knew You Were Trouble in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Em – C – D – G – D
How it goes
I Knew You Were Trouble sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: Em is E, G and B; C is C, E and G; 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.
EmviCIVDVGIDV
- EmE · G · B
- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
266 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Eager heartbeat
How it goes
Jumps in early on the “and” before beat 3, like it can’t wait. Musicians call it root bass · pop push 1 · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 403 songs of the library.
Eager heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pony-trot chords
How it goes
Quick trotting chords, then a jump over beat 3 to its “and”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pony-trot chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 150 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

What chords are in I Knew You Were Trouble?

The loop is Em – C – D – G – D (vi – IV – V – I – V) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is I Knew You Were Trouble in?

G major, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in I Knew You Were Trouble?

Eager heartbeat: root bass · pop push 1 · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I Knew You Were Trouble easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of I Knew You Were Trouble?

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

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.