Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Not Myself on piano

Written by John Mayer

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Not Myself in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Ab – Gb – Db – Ab
How it goes
Not Myself sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Gb is Gb, Bb and Db; Db is Db, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIGbbVIIDbIVAbI
- AbAb · C · Eb
- GbGb · Bb · Db
- DbDb · F · Ab
102 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Drowsy heartbeat
How it goes
Two slow notes, then a late one that slips in before the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 889 songs of the library.
Drowsy heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
How it goes
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Deep-breath chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 90 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: Db – Eb – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb
- EbEb · G · Bb

What chords are in Not Myself?

The loop is Ab – Gb – Db – Ab (I – bVII – IV – I) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.

What key is Not Myself in?

Ab major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Not Myself?

Drowsy heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Not Myself 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.