Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Six Degrees Of Separation on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Six Degrees Of Separation in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: C#m – A – E – B
Six Degrees Of Separation sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C#m is C#, E and G#; A is A, C# and E; E is E, G# and B; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C#mviAIVEIBV
- C#mC# · E · G#
- AA · C# · E
- EE · G# · B
- BB · D# · F#
176 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Walking roots
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Walking rootsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 144 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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE

What chords are in Six Degrees Of Separation?

The loop is C#m – A – E – B (vi – IV – I – V) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.

What key is Six Degrees Of Separation in?

E major, at about 144 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Six Degrees Of Separation?

Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Six Degrees Of Separation 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.