Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play No Other Name on piano
By Robert Gay
- C major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1988
- Medium
Learn No Other Name in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – F – G – Csus4
No Other Name sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C; G is G, B and D; Csus4 is C, F and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIFIVGVCsus4Isus4- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- Csus4C · F · G
- 2
Left hand: Walking roots
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), 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 100 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: C – Csus4 – C
The last chords are I – Isus – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CCsus4C
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Questions about No Other Name
What chords are in No Other Name?
The loop is C – F – G – Csus4 (I – IV – V – Isus) in C major, and the song ends on C – Csus4 – C.
What key is No Other Name in?
C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in No Other Name?
Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is No Other Name 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.