Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play That Girl on piano

Written by Stevie Wonder

  • G# minor
  • 4/4
  • 112 BPM
  • 1981
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Dawdling chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn That Girl in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: C#m – A#m – G#m – F#

    How it goes

    That Girl sits in G# minor: G# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C#m is C#, E and G#; A#m is A#, C# and E#; G#m is G#, B and D#; F# is F#, A# and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    C#mivA#miiG#miF#VII
    • C#mC# · E · G#
    • A#mA# · C# · E#
    • G#mG# · B · D#
    • F#F# · A# · C#
  2. 2

    Left hand: Pop heartbeat

    How it goes

    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.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Dawdling chords

    How it goes

    Two chords, then a lazy late one after beat 3 that catches up on 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 112 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. 5

    Ending: E – F# – G#m

    How it goes

    The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    EF#G#m
    • EE · G# · B

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Questions about That Girl

What chords are in That Girl?

The loop is C#m – A#m – G#m – F# (iv – ii – i – bVII) in G# minor, and the song ends on E – F# – G#m.

What key is That Girl in?

G# minor, at about 112 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in That Girl?

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 That Girl easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.