Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play If It Makes You Happy on piano
Artist unknown
- G major
- 4/4
- 96 BPM
- I–Isus–I–Isus loop
- Easy
Learn If It Makes You Happy in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – Gsus4 – G – Gsus4
If It Makes You Happy sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Gsus4 is G, C and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIGsus4Isus4GIGsus4Isus4- GG · B · D
- Gsus4G · C · D
- 2
Left hand: Hopping heartbeat
Quick hops into the middle of the bar, then a rest on beat 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1& · 2& · 3 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 143 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Peekaboo chords
A chord on 2, then two surprises popping up between the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 96 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: G – Gsus4 – G
The last chords are I – Isus – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GGsus4G
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Questions about If It Makes You Happy
What chords are in If It Makes You Happy?
The loop is G – Gsus4 – G – Gsus4 (I – Isus – I – Isus) in G major, and the song ends on G – Gsus4 – G.
What key is If It Makes You Happy in?
G major, at about 96 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in If It Makes You Happy?
Hopping heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1& · 2& · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is If It Makes You Happy 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.