One Thing Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn One Thing in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – G – A – D – Bm – G – A – D
One Thing sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D; A is A, C# and E; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGIVAVDIBmviGIVAVDI
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
- BmB · D · F#
19 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Pop stabs
Chord stabs in the 3-3-2 pop rhythm. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pop stabsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 125 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: Bm – A – D
The last chords are vi – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BmAD

What chords are in One Thing?

The loop is D – G – A – D – Bm – G – A – D (I – IV – V – I – vi – IV – V – I) in D major, and the song ends on Bm – A – D.

What key is One Thing in?

D major, at about 125 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in One Thing?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is One Thing easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of One Thing?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.