Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Just A Dream on piano
By Nelly
- D minor
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- Medium
Learn Just A Dream in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – Bbsus4 – F – C
Just A Dream sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; Bbsus4 is Bb, Eb and F; F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmiBbsus4VIsus4FIIICVII- DmD · F · A
- Bbsus4Bb · Eb · F
- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Fluttering heartbeat
A quick flutter before beat 2, then a push before beat 3. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 152 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Lighthouse blink
A note and the one above flash in turn, steady as a lighthouse. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 90 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: Bb – C – Dm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Just A Dream
What chords are in Just A Dream?
The loop is Dm – Bbsus4 – F – C (i – VIsus4 – III – VII) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Just A Dream in?
D minor, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Just A Dream?
Fluttering heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Just A Dream 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.
Can I hear the real melody of Just A Dream?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.