Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play I Need You on piano
Written by Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell & others
- E major
- 4/4
- 118 BPM
- 2002
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I Need You in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bsus4 – B – C#m – A
How it goes
I Need You sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bsus4 is B, E and F#; B is B, D# and F#; C#m is C#, E and G#; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Bsus4Vsus4BVC#mviAIV- Bsus4B · E · F#
- BB · D# · F#
- C#mC# · E · G#
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Gear-shift chords
How it goes
Quick even chords that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 118 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#m – A – E
How it goes
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
C#mAE- EE · G# · B
Play next
Questions about I Need You
What chords are in I Need You?
The loop is Bsus4 – B – C#m – A (Vsus – V – vi – IV) in E major, and the song ends on C#m – A – E.
What key is I Need You in?
E major, at about 118 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I Need You?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Need You 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.