Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Wanting Things on piano

By Bacharach & David

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Pausing chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn Wanting Things in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: A – Bm – A – Bm

    Wanting Things sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    AIBmiiAIBmii
    • AA · C# · E
    • BmB · D · F#
    164 songs go round the same chords
  2. 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. 3

    Right hand: Pausing chords

    Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 103 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. 5

    Ending: D – E – A

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

    DEA
    • DD · F# · A
    • EE · G# · B

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Questions about Wanting Things

What chords are in Wanting Things?

The loop is A – Bm – A – Bm (I – ii – I – ii) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.

What key is Wanting Things in?

A major, at about 103 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in Wanting Things?

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 Wanting 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.