Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Why on piano
Written by Shawn Mendes, Teddy Geiger & others
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 63 BPM
- 2018
- Medium
Learn Why in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Fm – Cm – Abm
Why sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Fm is F, Ab and C; Cm is C, Eb and G; Abm is Ab, Cb and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIFmiiCmviAbmiv- EbEb · G · Bb
- FmF · Ab · C
- CmC · Eb · G
- AbmAb · Cb · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Hopscotch steps
Step, step, skip a beat, step: like hopping over a square. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 668 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 63 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
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
Play next
Questions about Why
What chords are in Why?
The loop is Eb – Fm – Cm – Abm (I – ii – vi – iv) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Why in?
Eb major, at about 63 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Why?
Hopscotch steps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Why 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.