Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Play Me on piano
By Neil Diamond
- D major
- 3/4
- 100 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- Medium
Learn Play Me in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – G – D – G
Play Me sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGIVDIGIV- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Lullaby ripple
Up to the top and rocking there in quick notes: a lullaby in three. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5-8-5 (3/4) (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 92 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Waltz chords
A chord on each of the three beats: a simple waltz. 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: D – Em – D
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEmD- EmE · G · B
Play next
Questions about Play Me
What chords are in Play Me?
The loop is D – G – D – G (I – IV – I – IV) in D major, and the song ends on D – Em – D.
What key is Play Me in?
D major, at about 100 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Play Me?
Lullaby ripple: broken chord 1-5-8-5-8-5 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Play Me 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.