Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play I Was Only Nineteen on piano
Written by John Schumann
- A major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- V–IV–I–V loop
- 1983
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I Was Only Nineteen in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – D – A – E
How it goes
I Was Only Nineteen sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EVDIVAIEV- EE · G# · B
- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
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: Tap-and-nudge
How it goes
Waits a beat, taps the root five times, then nudges one step up. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: A – G – A
How it goes
The last chords are I – bVII – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AGA- GG · B · D
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Questions about I Was Only Nineteen
What chords are in I Was Only Nineteen?
The loop is E – D – A – E (V – IV – I – V) in A major, and the song ends on A – G – A.
What key is I Was Only Nineteen in?
A major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I Was Only Nineteen?
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 Was Only Nineteen 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.