Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play I Know What Boys Like on piano
Written by Christopher Butler
- E major
- 5/4
- 132 BPM
- 1979
- Easy
Learn I Know What Boys Like in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C#m – C# – B – G#
I Know What Boys Like sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C#m is C#, E and G#; C# is C#, E# and G#; B is B, D# and F#; G# is G#, B# and D#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C#mviC#VIBVG#III- C#mC# · E · G#
- C#C# · E# · G#
- BB · D# · F#
- G#G# · B# · D#
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Marching chords
Two chords per bar, left-right, like a happy little march. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 132 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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- AA · C# · E
- EE · G# · B
Questions about I Know What Boys Like
What chords are in I Know What Boys Like?
The loop is C#m – C# – B – G# (vi – VI5 – V5 – III5) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is I Know What Boys Like in?
E major, at about 132 beats a minute in 5/4.
What does the left hand play in I Know What Boys Like?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Know What Boys Like 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.