Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play The Light on piano

By Sara Bareilles

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 140 BPM
  • 2010
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Pop heartbeatThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn The Light in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Gsus4 – G – Em – Am

    The Light sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gsus4 is G, C and D; G is G, B and D; Em is E, G and B; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    Gsus4Isus4GIEmviAmii
    • Gsus4G · C · D
    • GG · B · D
    • EmE · G · B
    • AmA · C · E
  2. 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.

  3. 3

    Right hand: the chords, held

    In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 140 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. 5

    Ending: G – Gsus4 – G

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

    GGsus4G

Play next

Questions about The Light

What chords are in The Light?

The loop is Gsus4 – G – Em – Am (Isus – I – vi – ii) in G major, and the song ends on G – Gsus4 – G.

What key is The Light in?

G major, at about 140 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Light?

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 The Light 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.