Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play If I Had You on piano
By Adam Lambert
- E minor
- 4/4
- 130 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn If I Had You in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Em – Dsus4 – D – Bm
How it goes
If I Had You sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: C is C, E and G; Em is E, G and B; Dsus4 is D, G and A; D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CVIEmiDsus4VIIsus4DVIIBmv- CC · E · G
- EmE · G · B
- Dsus4D · G · A
- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
How it goes
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 130 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 – Em
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm
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Questions about If I Had You
What chords are in If I Had You?
The loop is C – Em – Dsus4 – D – Bm (VI – i – VIIsus4 – VII – v) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is If I Had You in?
E minor, at about 130 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in If I Had You?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is If I Had You 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 If I Had You?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.