Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Why Can't We Be Friends on piano

By War

Tuning the piano…

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Learn Why Can't We Be Friends in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Eb – D – Cm – Bb
Why Can't We Be Friends sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; D is D, F# and A; Cm is C, Eb and G; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIVDIIICmiiBbI
- EbEb · G · Bb
- DD · F# · A
- CmC · Eb · G
- BbBb · D · F
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.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Hopscotch chords
Chord, chord, skip beat 3, chord: hopping over a square. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hopscotch chordsBlock chords · StrideRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 160 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
Ending: Eb – F – Bb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb
- FF · A · C

What chords are in Why Can't We Be Friends?

The loop is Eb – D – Cm – Bb (IV – III – ii – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Why Can't We Be Friends in?

Bb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Why Can't We Be Friends?

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 Why Can't We Be Friends 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.