Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play My Friend The Sea on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn My Friend The Sea in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G7 – C – G7 – Dm
How it goes
My Friend The Sea sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7V7CIG7V7Dmii
- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
How it goes
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Double-skip chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 96 BPM
How it goes
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: Dm – G7 – C
How it goes
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DmG7C

What chords are in My Friend The Sea?

The loop is G7 – C – G7 – Dm (V7 – I – V7 – ii) in C major, and the song ends on Dm – G7 – C.

What key is My Friend The Sea in?

C major, at about 96 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in My Friend The Sea?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is My Friend The Sea 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.