Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play We Can’t Stop on piano
Artist unknown
- E major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- Tricky
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn We Can’t Stop in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – G#m – C#m – Asus4
How it goes
We Can’t Stop sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; G#m is G#, B and D#; C#m is C#, E and G#; Asus4 is A, D and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIG#miiiC#mviAsus4IVsus4- EE · G# · B
- G#mG# · B · D#
- C#mC# · E · G#
- Asus4A · D · E
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
How it goes
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hailstones
How it goes
The top note rattles in very quick bursts, like hail on a window. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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: A – B – E
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
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Questions about We Can’t Stop
What chords are in We Can’t Stop?
The loop is E – G#m – C#m – Asus4 (I – iii – vi – IVsus) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is We Can’t Stop in?
E major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in We Can’t Stop?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is We Can’t Stop easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.