Piano chords · Bossa beach
How to play You Are The Only One on piano
By Ricky Nelson
- C major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–IV–V–I loop
- 1960
- Medium
Learn You Are The Only One in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – F – G – C
You Are The Only One sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIFIVGVCI- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Island seesaw
Low, high, low in the three-three-two island rhythm. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-1 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 723 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. 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: C – G – C
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CGC
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Questions about You Are The Only One
What chords are in You Are The Only One?
The loop is C – F – G – C (I – IV – V – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – G – C.
What key is You Are The Only One in?
C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in You Are The Only One?
Island seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-1, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is You Are The Only 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.