Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play When You’re An Addams on piano
Written by Andrew Lippa
- A minor
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 2010
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn When You’re An Addams in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bm – E7 – Em – E7
How it goes
When You’re An Addams sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; E7 is E, G#, B and D; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmiiE7V7EmvE7V7- BmB · D · F#
- E7E · G# · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- 2
Left hand: Island zigzag
How it goes
A jump up, then down past the start, in the three-three-two rhythm. Musicians call it broken chord 8-12-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 302 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: Bm – E7 – A
How it goes
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BmE7A- AA · C# · E
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Questions about When You’re An Addams
What chords are in When You’re An Addams?
The loop is Bm – E7 – Em – E7 (ii – V7 – v – V7) in A minor, and the song ends on Bm – E7 – A.
What key is When You’re An Addams in?
A minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in When You’re An Addams?
Island zigzag: broken chord 8-12-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is When You’re An Addams 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.