Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play You Can’t Do That on piano
By The Beatles
- G major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I7–IV7–I7–V7 loop
- Medium
Learn You Can’t Do That in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G7 – C7 – G7 – D7
You Can’t Do That sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7I7C7IV7G7I7D7V7- G7G · B · D · F
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- D7D · F# · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Run-up footsteps
Four steady steps plus a quick extra one that leads into the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 581 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. 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 – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
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Questions about You Can’t Do That
What chords are in You Can’t Do That?
The loop is G7 – C7 – G7 – D7 (I7 – IV7 – I7 – V7) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is You Can’t Do That in?
G major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in You Can’t Do That?
Run-up footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is You Can’t Do That 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.