Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play This Can’t Be Love on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn This Can’t Be Love in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G – G – C7 – C7
How it goes
This Can’t Be Love sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIGIC7IV7C7IV7
- GG · B · D
- C7C · E · G · Bb
222 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Island pulse
How it goes
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Island pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Hopscotch bells
How it goes
A high bell note, a chord, a skipped beat, and one more chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hopscotch bellsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
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
Ending: C – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG
- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A

What chords are in This Can’t Be Love?

The loop is G – G – C7 – C7 (I – IV7 – I – IV7) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is This Can’t Be Love in?

G major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in This Can’t Be Love?

Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is This Can’t Be Love 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.

Can I hear the real melody of This Can’t Be Love?

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

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.