Try a Little Kindness Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Try a Little Kindness in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – C – G – D
Try a Little Kindness sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; C is C, E and G; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DICbVIIGIVDI
- DD · F# · A
- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
102 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Tumble down
Three notes falling down the chord, one per beat, then a rest. Musicians call it broken chord 8-5-1 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 635 songs of the library.
Tumble downBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Hopscotch bells
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 160 BPM
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 – G – D
The last chords are bVII – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CGD

What chords are in Try a Little Kindness?

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

What key is Try a Little Kindness in?

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

What does the left hand play in Try a Little Kindness?

Tumble down: broken chord 8-5-1, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Try a Little Kindness 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.