Piano chords · Bossa beach

How to play I Should Have Known Better on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn I Should Have Known Better in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – G – D – Bm
How it goes
I Should Have Known Better sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGIVDIBmvi
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- BmB · D · F#
26 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Lazy seesaw
How it goes
A low note, a higher one, a gap, then the higher one again. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-5 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 520 songs of the library.
Lazy seesawRoot–fifth bass · Bossa novaLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
4
Both hands at 120 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: G – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD
- AA · C# · E

What chords are in I Should Have Known Better?

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

What key is I Should Have Known Better in?

D major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in I Should Have Known Better?

Lazy seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I Should Have Known Better 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.