Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Without You on piano

By Harry Nilsson

  • E major
  • 4/4
  • 62 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Steady chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn Without You in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: E – G#m – F#m – G#sus4

    Without You sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; G#m is G#, B and D#; F#m is F#, A and C#; G#sus4 is G#, C# and D#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    EIG#miiiF#miiG#sus4IIIsus4
    • EE · G# · B
    • G#mG# · B · D#
    • F#mF# · A · C#
    • G#sus4G# · C# · D#
  2. 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.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Steady chords

    A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 62 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: A – B – E

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

    ABE
    • AA · C# · E
    • BB · D# · F#

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Questions about Without You

What chords are in Without You?

The loop is E – G#m – F#m – G#sus4 (I – iii – ii – IIIsus) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.

What key is Without You in?

E major, at about 62 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Without You?

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 Without You 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.