Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play You Are The Best Thing on piano
Written by Ray Lamontagne
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 84 BPM
- I–V–vi–IV loop
- 2008
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn You Are The Best Thing in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – F – Gm – Eb
How it goes
You Are The Best Thing 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; Gm is G, Bb and D; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIFVGmviEbIV- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Sleep-in chords
How it goes
Quiet for half the bar, then three chords wake up near the end. 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: Eb – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb
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Questions about You Are The Best Thing
What chords are in You Are The Best Thing?
The loop is Bb – F – Gm – Eb (I – V – vi – IV) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is You Are The Best Thing in?
Bb major, at about 84 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in You Are The Best Thing?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is You Are The Best Thing 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.