Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play I’m Just A Singer on piano
Written by John Lodge
- A minor
- 4/4
- 130 BPM
- i–iv–V7–i loop
- 1972
- Medium
Learn I’m Just A Singer in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – Dm – E7 – Am
I’m Just A Singer sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; Dm is D, F and A; E7 is E, G#, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiDmivE7V7Ami- AmA · C · E
- DmD · F · A
- E7E · G# · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Double-skip footsteps
Steady steps with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 397 songs of the library.
- 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.
- 4
Both hands at 130 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: F – G – Am
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
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Questions about I’m Just A Singer
What chords are in I’m Just A Singer?
The loop is Am – Dm – E7 – Am (i – iv – V7 – i) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is I’m Just A Singer in?
A minor, at about 130 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I’m Just A Singer?
Double-skip footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I’m Just A Singer 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.