Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play So Sad on piano
Written by George Harrison
- D major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1974
- Medium
Learn So Sad in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A7 – D – A – Em
So Sad sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A7 is A, C#, E and G; D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
A7V7DIAVEmii- A7A · C# · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- EmE · G · B
- 2
Left hand: Breaking wave
Four notes roll up quickly to a bright high top, then let it ring. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 162 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pop stabs
Chord stabs in the 3-3-2 pop rhythm. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: D – Em – D
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEmD
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Questions about So Sad
What chords are in So Sad?
The loop is A7 – D – A – Em (V7 – I – V – ii) in D major, and the song ends on D – Em – D.
What key is So Sad in?
D major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in So Sad?
Breaking wave: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is So Sad 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.