Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play The Way I Tend To Be on piano
By Frank Turner
- B major
- 4/4
- 84 BPM
- 2013
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Way I Tend To Be in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – B – F#sus4 – E
How it goes
The Way I Tend To Be sits in B major: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; B is B, D# and F#; F#sus4 is F#, B and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIVBIF#sus4Vsus4EIV- EE · G# · B
- BB · D# · F#
- F#sus4F# · B · C#
- 2
Left hand: Walking roots
How it goes
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 84 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: E – F# – B
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EF#B- F#F# · A# · C#
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Questions about The Way I Tend To Be
What chords are in The Way I Tend To Be?
The loop is E – B – F#sus4 – E (IV – I – Vsus – IV) in B major, and the song ends on E – F# – B.
What key is The Way I Tend To Be in?
B major, at about 84 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Way I Tend To Be?
Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Way I Tend To Be 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.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.