Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Make Someone Happy on piano
By Bill Evans
- A major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 1960
- Easy
Learn Make Someone Happy in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – Bb7 – Em – D#7
Make Someone Happy sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; D#7 is D#, F##, A# and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmvBb7bII7EmvD#7#IV7- EmE · G · B
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- D#7D# · F## · A# · C#
- 2
Left hand: Giant steps
A full chord on every beat, low and heavy, like a giant walking. Musicians call it lh chords (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Wait-a-beat chords
Silence on beat 1, then chords on 2, 3 and 4, leaving room for the bass. 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: D – E – A
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Make Someone Happy
What chords are in Make Someone Happy?
The loop is Em – Bb7 – Em – D#7 (v – bII7 – v – #IV7) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is Make Someone Happy in?
A major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Make Someone Happy?
Giant steps: lh chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Make Someone Happy easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.