Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play What If on piano
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 63 BPM
- vi–ii–vi–ii loop
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn What If in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Fm – Cm – Fm
How it goes
What If sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmviFmiiCmviFmii- CmC · Eb · G
- FmF · Ab · C
- 2
Left hand: Excited heartbeat
How it goes
Lots of quick notes with a tiny skip before beat 3: full of energy. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2a · 3 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 81 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 63 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about What If
What chords are in What If?
The loop is Cm – Fm – Cm – Fm (vi – ii – vi – ii) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is What If in?
Eb major, at about 63 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in What If?
Excited heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2a · 3 · 3& · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is What If easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.