Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Something’s Gotta Give on piano
Written by Ryan Tedder, Hubert Blanc Francard & others
- D major
- 4/4
- 81 BPM
- IV–I–V–vi loop
- 2013
- 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: G – D – A – Bm
How it goes
Something’s Gotta Give sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIVDIAVBmvi- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- BmB · D · F#
- 2
Left hand: Double-skip footsteps
How it goes
Steady steps with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 397 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 81 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: G – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD
Play next
Questions about Something’s Gotta Give
What chords are in Something’s Gotta Give?
The loop is G – D – A – Bm (IV – I – V – vi) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Something’s Gotta Give in?
D major, at about 81 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Something’s Gotta Give?
Double-skip footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 4 · 4&, 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.