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How to play White Houses on piano

By Vanessa Carlton

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 136 BPM
  • 2004
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Late-hop footstepsRight hand Skipping-stone chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn White Houses in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Gsus4 – G – Gsus4 – G

    White Houses sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gsus4 is G, C and D; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    Gsus4Vsus4GVGsus4Vsus4GV
    • Gsus4G · C · D
    • GG · B · D
  2. 2

    Left hand: Late-hop footsteps

    Steady low-high steps with one quick extra hop after beat 3. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 659 songs of the library.

  3. 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. 4

    Both hands at 136 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: F – G – C

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

    FGC
    • FF · A · C
    • CC · E · G

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Questions about White Houses

What chords are in White Houses?

The loop is Gsus4 – G – Gsus4 – G (Vsus – V – Vsus – V) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is White Houses in?

C major, at about 136 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in White Houses?

Late-hop footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is White Houses 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.