Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play You Are My Number One on piano
By Smash Mouth
- D major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- V–I–IV–V loop
- 2003
- Medium
Learn You Are My Number One in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – D – G – A
You Are My Number One sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AVDIGIVAV- AA · C# · E
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Double island pulse
The island rhythm squeezed in twice per bar: quick and dancy. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3 · 3a · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 122 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Bouncy bells
A high bell note, then chords bouncing on every “and”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: D – G – D
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DGD
Play next
Questions about You Are My Number One
What chords are in You Are My Number One?
The loop is A – D – G – A (V – I – IV – V) in D major, and the song ends on D – G – D.
What key is You Are My Number One in?
D major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in You Are My Number One?
Double island pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3 · 3a · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is You Are My Number One 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.