Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play Truth To Power on piano

Written by Ryan Tedder & T Bone Burnett

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Double-step climbThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn Truth To Power in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Am – F – C – Am

    How it goes

    Truth To Power sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    AmviFIVCIAmvi
    • AmA · C · E
    • FF · A · C
    • CC · E · G
    41 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Double-step climb

    How it goes

    Two beats on the root, two on the next chord note up: simple and steady. Musicians call it broken chord 1-1-3-3 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 284 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: the chords, held

    How it goes

    In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 72 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 – C

    How it goes

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    FGC
    • GG · B · D

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Questions about Truth To Power

What chords are in Truth To Power?

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

What key is Truth To Power in?

C major, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Truth To Power?

Double-step climb: broken chord 1-1-3-3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Truth To Power 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.