Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play She Don’t Have to Know on piano
By John Legend
- D minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- Medium
Learn She Don’t Have to Know in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – C7 – Bb – Dm
She Don’t Have to Know sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmiC7VII7BbVIDmi- DmD · F · A
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Racing heartbeat
One calm beat, then non-stop quick notes racing to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 431 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. 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: Bb – C – Dm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- CC · E · G
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Questions about She Don’t Have to Know
What chords are in She Don’t Have to Know?
The loop is Dm – C7 – Bb – Dm (i – bVII7 – bVI – i) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is She Don’t Have to Know in?
D minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in She Don’t Have to Know?
Racing heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is She Don’t Have to Know 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.