Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play The One That Got Away on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn The One That Got Away in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: E – E – G#m7 – G#m7
The One That Got Away sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; G#m7 is G#, B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIEIG#m7iii7G#m7iii7
- EE · G# · B
- G#m7G# · B · D# · F#
53 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Run-up footsteps
Four steady steps plus a quick extra one that leads into the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 581 songs of the library.
Run-up footstepsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Twinkle
Two notes twinkling back and forth. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
TwinkleTwo-note ostinato · BalladRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 136 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: C#m – A – E
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
C#mAE
- C#mC# · E · G#
- AA · C# · E

What chords are in The One That Got Away?

The loop is E – E – G#m7 – G#m7 (I – iii7 – I – iii7) in E major, and the song ends on C#m – A – E.

What key is The One That Got Away in?

E major, at about 136 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The One That Got Away?

Run-up footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The One That Got 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.

Can I hear the real melody of The One That Got Away?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.