How to play Inside Out on piano

Learn Inside Out in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: E – C#m – E – C#m
Inside Out sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: 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.
EIC#mviEIC#mvi
- EE · G# · B
- C#mC# · E · G#
135 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Hop-skip heartbeat
Three steps, then a quick hop that skips right over beat 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 250 songs of the library.
Hop-skip heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Hurrying chords
Calm chords in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hurrying chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 120 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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE
- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#

What chords are in Inside Out?

The loop is E – C#m – E – C#m (I – vi – I – vi) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.

What key is Inside Out in?

E major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Inside Out?

Hop-skip heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Inside Out 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.