Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Simple Life on piano
By Carolyn Dawn Johnson
- D major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–vi–V–IV loop
- 2003
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Simple Life in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – Bm – A – G
How it goes
Simple Life sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; A is A, C# and E; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIBmviAVGIV- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- AA · C# · E
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Ping-pong bounce
How it goes
High, low, high, low on every beat: a ping-pong bounce. Musicians call it broken chord 8-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 302 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: G – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD
Play next
Questions about Simple Life
What chords are in Simple Life?
The loop is D – Bm – A – G (I – vi – V – IV) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Simple Life in?
D major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Simple Life?
Ping-pong bounce: broken chord 8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Simple Life 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.