Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Not About Angels on piano
By Birdy
- C major
- 4/4
- 56 BPM
- I–iii–vi–IV loop
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Not About Angels in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Em – Am – F
Not About Angels sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Em is E, G and B; 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.
CIEmiiiAmviFIV- CC · E · G
- EmE · G · B
- AmA · C · E
- FF · A · C
- 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: Lighthouse blink
A note and the one above flash in turn, steady as a lighthouse. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 56 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: G – F – C
The last chords are V – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GFC- GG · B · D
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Questions about Not About Angels
What chords are in Not About Angels?
The loop is C – Em – Am – F (I – iii – vi – IV) in C major, and the song ends on G – F – C.
What key is Not About Angels in?
C major, at about 56 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Not About Angels?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Not About Angels 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.