Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Why Don't You & I on piano
By Santana
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 84 BPM
- 2002
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Why Don't You & I in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – F – Eb – Cm
How it goes
Why Don't You & I sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIFVEbIVCmii- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- EbEb · G · Bb
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Lub-dub chords
How it goes
Two quick chords, a pause, two quick chords: just like a heartbeat. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 84 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: F – Eb – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are V – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FEbBb
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Questions about Why Don't You & I
What chords are in Why Don't You & I?
The loop is Bb – F – Eb – Cm (I – V – IV – ii) in Bb major, and the song ends on F – Eb – Bb.
What key is Why Don't You & I in?
Bb major, at about 84 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Why Don't You & I?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Why Don't You & I 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.