Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play You Are Not Alone on piano

By Michael Jackson

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 64 BPM
  • 1995
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Galloping heartbeatThe right hand sings the tuneChords from the chord symbols in the score

Learn You Are Not Alone in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Dm7 – G7 – C – Am7

    You Are Not Alone sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm7 is D, F, A and C; G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G; Am7 is A, C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    Dm7ii7G7V7CIAm7vi7
    • Dm7D · F · A · C
    • G7G · B · D · F
    • CC · E · G
    • Am7A · C · E · G
    160 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Galloping heartbeat

    Ta-DUM, ta-DUM: quick pickups into beats 2 and 4, like hooves. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 115 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: the chords, held

    In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 64 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: F – G – C

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

    FGC
    • FF · A · C
    • GG · B · D

Play next

Questions about You Are Not Alone

What chords are in You Are Not Alone?

The loop is Dm7 – G7 – C – Am7 (ii7 – V7 – I – vi7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is You Are Not Alone in?

C major, at about 64 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in You Are Not Alone?

Galloping heartbeat: 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 Not Alone 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.

Can I hear the real melody of You Are Not Alone?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.