Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Should I Stay Or Should I Go on piano
Written by Mick Jones & Joe Strummer
- D major
- 4/4
- 114 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- 1982
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Should I Stay Or Should I Go 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
How it goes
Should I Stay Or Should I Go 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: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 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.
- 4
Both hands at 114 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: D – G – D
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DGD
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Questions about Should I Stay Or Should I Go
What chords are in Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
The loop is D – G – D – G (I – IV – I – IV) in D major, and the song ends on D – G – D.
What key is Should I Stay Or Should I Go in?
D major, at about 114 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Should I Stay Or Should I Go 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.