Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Make It Happen on piano
Artist unknown
- E major
- 4/4
- 128 BPM
- vi–V–IV–vi loop
- 2011
- Medium
Learn Make It Happen in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C#m – B – A – C#m
Make It Happen sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C#m is C#, E and G#; B is B, D# and F#; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C#mviBVAIVC#mvi- C#mC# · E · G#
- BB · D# · F#
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of 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 128 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- EE · G# · B
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Questions about Make It Happen
What chords are in Make It Happen?
The loop is C#m – B – A – C#m (vi – V – IV – vi) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Make It Happen in?
E major, at about 128 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Make It Happen?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Make It Happen 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.