Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Maybe I on piano
Written by John Ondrasik
- C major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- I–V–vi–IV loop
- 2004
- Medium
Learn Maybe I in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – G – Am – F
Maybe I sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; G is G, B and D; Am is A, C and E; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIGVAmviFIV- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
- AmA · C · E
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Lub-dub heartbeat
Two quick beats, a pause, two quick beats: just like a real heart. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1& · 3 · 3& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 294 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 80 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 – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
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Questions about Maybe I
What chords are in Maybe I?
The loop is C – G – Am – F (I – V – vi – IV) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Maybe I in?
C major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Maybe I?
Lub-dub heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1& · 3 · 3&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Maybe I 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.