Take It Away Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Take It Away in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: A – E – A – D
Take It Away sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; E is E, G# and B; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIEVAIDIV
- AA · C# · E
- EE · G# · B
- DD · F# · A
76 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Deep-breath chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
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 – E – A
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA

What chords are in Take It Away?

The loop is A – E – A – D (I – V – I – IV) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.

What key is Take It Away in?

A major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Take It Away?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Take It Away 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.