Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Not In That Way on piano
By Sam Smith
- B minor
- 6/8
- 68 BPM
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Not In That Way in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – F#m – Bm – G
Not In That Way sits in B minor: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; F#m is F#, A and C#; Bm is B, D and F#; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIIIF#mvBmiGVI- DD · F# · A
- F#mF# · A · C#
- BmB · D · F#
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Cradle chords
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 68 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 – A – Bm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GABm- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Not In That Way
What chords are in Not In That Way?
The loop is D – F#m – Bm – G (bIII – v – i – bVI) in B minor, and the song ends on G – A – Bm.
What key is Not In That Way in?
B minor, at about 68 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Not In That Way?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Not In That Way 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.