Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Things We Said Today on piano

By David Lanz

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Push chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn Things We Said Today in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Am – Em – Am – Em

    How it goes

    Things We Said Today sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    AmiEmvAmiEmv
    • AmA · C · E
    • EmE · G · B
    28 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.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Push chords

    How it goes

    Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 120 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: F – G – Am

    How it goes

    The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    FGAm
    • FF · A · C
    • GG · B · D

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Questions about Things We Said Today

What chords are in Things We Said Today?

The loop is Am – Em – Am – Em (i – v – i – v) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.

What key is Things We Said Today in?

A minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Things We Said Today?

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 Things We Said Today 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.