Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – F – Dm – Bb
How it goes
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C; Dm is D, F and A; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CVFIDmviBbIV
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- DmD · F · A
- BbBb · D · F
32 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Push and land
How it goes
A push just before beat 3, then two calm landings. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Push and landRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Steady chordsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 160 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: Bb – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF

What chords are in This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things?

The loop is C – F – Dm – Bb (V – I – vi – IV) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things in?

F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things?

Push and land: root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things 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.