Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play I’ll Be There For You on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn I’ll Be There For You in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – Bm – G – A
I’ll Be There For You sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; G is G, B and D; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIBmviGIVAV
- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
95 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Racing heartbeat
One calm beat, then non-stop quick notes racing to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 431 songs of the library.
Racing heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 74 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 – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD

What chords are in I’ll Be There For You?

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

What key is I’ll Be There For You in?

D major, at about 74 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in I’ll Be There For You?

Racing heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I’ll Be There For 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.