Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Something’s Gotta Give on piano
Written by Camila Cabello, Jesse St. John Geller & others
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- 2018
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Something’s Gotta Give in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Fm – Ab – Eb
How it goes
Something’s Gotta Give sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Fm is F, Ab and C; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbIVFmviAbIEbV- DbDb · F · Ab
- FmF · Ab · C
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Busy rocking
How it goes
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: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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: Db – Eb – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb
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Questions about Something’s Gotta Give
What chords are in Something’s Gotta Give?
The loop is Db – Fm – Ab – Eb (IV – vi – I – V) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Something’s Gotta Give in?
Ab major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Something’s Gotta Give?
Busy rocking: broken chord 1-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Something’s Gotta Give 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.