Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Simply Second Nature on piano
Written by Marc Shaiman
- C major
- 4/4
- 98 BPM
- 2010
- Medium
Learn Simply Second Nature in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Am – G – D7
Simply Second Nature sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Am is A, C and E; G is G, B and D; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIAmviGVD7II7- CC · E · G
- AmA · C · E
- GG · B · D
- D7D · F# · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Busy rocking
A low root, then quick notes rocking between two higher keys. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5 (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 200 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Run-up chords
Four steady chords plus a quick extra one leading into the next bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 98 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: F – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
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Questions about Simply Second Nature
What chords are in Simply Second Nature?
The loop is C – Am – G – D7 (I – vi – V – II7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Simply Second Nature in?
C major, at about 98 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Simply Second Nature?
Busy rocking: broken chord 1-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Simply Second Nature 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.