Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Since You’ve Been Gone on piano
Written by Aretha Franklin & Ted White
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 116 BPM
- IV–I–IV–I loop
- 1968
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Since You’ve Been Gone in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Bb – Eb – Bb
How it goes
Since You’ve Been Gone sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIVBbIEbIVBbI- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Racing heartbeat
How it goes
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: Offbeat skank
How it goes
Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 116 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: Bb – Eb – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbEbBb
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Questions about Since You’ve Been Gone
What chords are in Since You’ve Been Gone?
The loop is Eb – Bb – Eb – Bb (IV – I – IV – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – Eb – Bb.
What key is Since You’ve Been Gone in?
Bb major, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Since You’ve Been Gone?
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 Since You’ve Been Gone 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.