Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play That's The Way It Is (from Red Dead Redemption 2) on piano

By Daniel Lanois

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Run-up chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn That's The Way It Is (from Red Dead Redemption 2) in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: G – D – Em – C

    How it goes

    That's The Way It Is (from Red Dead Redemption 2) sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    GIDVEmviCIV
    • GG · B · D
    • DD · F# · A
    • EmE · G · B
    • CC · E · G
    266 songs go round the same chords
  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.

    Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
  3. 3

    Right hand: Run-up chords

    How it goes

    Four steady chords plus a quick extra one leading into the next bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

    Run-up chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
  4. 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. 5

    Ending: Em – C – G

    How it goes

    The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    EmCG

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Questions about That's The Way It Is (from Red Dead Redemption 2)

What chords are in That's The Way It Is (from Red Dead Redemption 2)?

The loop is G – D – Em – C (I – V – vi – IV) in G major, and the song ends on Em – C – G.

What key is That's The Way It Is (from Red Dead Redemption 2) in?

G major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in That's The Way It Is (from Red Dead Redemption 2)?

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's The Way It Is (from Red Dead Redemption 2) 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.