Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Try Too Hard on piano
Written by Teddy Geiger
- D major
- 4/4
- 122 BPM
- I–vi–V–IV loop
- 2006
- Easy
Learn Try Too Hard in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – Bm – A – G
Try Too Hard sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; A is A, C# and E; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIBmviAVGIV- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- AA · C# · E
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
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
Right hand: Skipping-stone chords
One chord, then two bounces on the “ands”, like a stone on water. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 122 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: G – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD
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Questions about Try Too Hard
What chords are in Try Too Hard?
The loop is D – Bm – A – G (I – vi – V – IV) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Try Too Hard in?
D major, at about 122 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Try Too Hard?
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 Try Too Hard 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.