Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Please, Please, Please on piano
Written by James Brown & Johnny Terry
- F major
- 4/4
- 60 BPM
- I–IV–V7–I loop
- 1956
- Tricky
Learn Please, Please, Please in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Bb – C7 – F
Please, Please, Please sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIBbIVC7V7FI- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Lazy footsteps
One long low note, then two calm steps to finish the bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Trotting-sleigh chords
Three quick chords on every beat: a rolling, joyful gallop. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 60 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: Bb – C7 – F
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbC7F
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Questions about Please, Please, Please
What chords are in Please, Please, Please?
The loop is F – Bb – C7 – F (I – IV – V7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C7 – F.
What key is Please, Please, Please in?
F major, at about 60 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Please, Please, Please?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Please, Please, Please easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky 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.