Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play I’m Alive on piano
By Michael Franti & Spearhead
- B major
- 4/4
- 136 BPM
- 2013
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I’m Alive in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: B – E – C#m – E
How it goes
I’m Alive sits in B major: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: B is B, D# and F#; E is E, G# and B; C#m is C#, E and G#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BIEIVC#miiEIV- BB · D# · F#
- EE · G# · B
- C#mC# · E · G#
- 2
Left hand: Groovy roots
How it goes
Notes jump around the “ands”, giving the bass a funky bounce. Musicians call it root bass · syncopated 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 363 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Running-late chords
How it goes
Misses beat 1, then hurries in with busy chords around the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 136 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#m – E – B
How it goes
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
C#mEB
Play next
Questions about I’m Alive
What chords are in I’m Alive?
The loop is B – E – C#m – E (I – IV – ii – IV) in B major, and the song ends on C#m – E – B.
What key is I’m Alive in?
B major, at about 136 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I’m Alive?
Groovy roots: root bass · syncopated 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I’m Alive 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.