Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play That’s The Way Love Goes on piano
Written by Lefty Frizell & Sanger Shafer
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–v–I7–IV loop
- 1973
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn That’s The Way Love Goes in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Bbm – Eb7 – Ab
How it goes
That’s The Way Love Goes sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bbm is Bb, Db and F; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIBbmvEb7I7AbIV- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbmBb · Db · F
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- AbAb · C · Eb
- 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
Right hand: Freeze-tag chords
How it goes
Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Eb – Abm – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are I – iv – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbAbmEb- AbmAb · Cb · Eb
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Questions about That’s The Way Love Goes
What chords are in That’s The Way Love Goes?
The loop is Eb – Bbm – Eb7 – Ab (I – v – I7 – IV) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Abm – Eb.
What key is That’s The Way Love Goes in?
Eb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in That’s The Way Love Goes?
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 Love Goes 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.