Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play Some People on piano
By Linda Eder
- F major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Some People in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – D7 – Gm – E
How it goes
Some People sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; D7 is D, F#, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D; E is E, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmviD7VI7GmiiEVII- DmD · F · A
- D7D · F# · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- EE · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Boogie walker
How it goes
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Push chords
How it goes
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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 – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
Play next
Questions about Some People
What chords are in Some People?
The loop is Dm – D7 – Gm – E (vi – VI7 – ii – VII) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Some People in?
F major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Some People?
Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Some People 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.