Hold this note for 4 beats. In other words, hold the keys down, then slowly and evenly count, “One, two, three, four. " then release them. If you don’t know the names of the notes on the piano, don’t worry. Simply put your pinky on the white key between the two rightmost black keys in the second cluster of three black keys (starting from the left side of the piano). This is A. Put your thumb four white keys above A. This is E. Note - these positions assume a standard-size piano.
In this song, your right hand has to work a lot faster than your left hand. Listen to a recording of the song to get a sense of how fast you should be going - it’s OK to practice this part slower than it’s played in the song, slowly working it up to speed. Note that, if you count both white and black keys, each note repeats every 12 keys up or down the keyboard. If you’re having trouble finding notes with your right hand, simply count up from your left hand’s bass notes to orient yourself.
One sure-fire way to get your playing up to speed is to practice with a metronome, which are available for cheap at almost every music store. Metronomes can count the beat for you, making it easier to keep your playing in time. You can even set your metronome to a slow tempo and slowly increase it to gradually increase your playing speed.
Each time you practice have a goal for what you want to accomplish in that session.
Since the intro part to this song is played the same as the verse, you can even sing over it! “I heard that you’re settled down. . . " A/G# may look intimidating, but it’s not - it’s simply an A major chord, except that the root note is a G# instead of an A. Just move the lowest note in the chord down one half-step and you’re playing an A/G#!
Since the intro part to this song is played the same as the verse, you can even sing over it! “I heard that you’re settled down. . . " A/G# may look intimidating, but it’s not - it’s simply an A major chord, except that the root note is a G# instead of an A. Just move the lowest note in the chord down one half-step and you’re playing an A/G#!
As a reminder, the root notes of the chords are: A, G#, F#, and D. Start two A’s below Middle C. When you’re confident with this bass line, you don’t simply have to play each note as a whole note. Make subtle changes in the rhythm to spice up your playing. For example, try holding each root note for three beats, then hitting the note again on beat “four” of each measure.
A: A C# E C#. A/G#: G# C# E C# F#m: F# (low) C# F# (high) C# D: A D F# D (note: the A in this arpeggio is the exact same note as the root note in the A chord. )
For instance, listen to how Wilson plays the high notes in each arpeggio (in other words, the fifths. ). He plays these notes slightly louder than the rest of the notes in the arpeggio. This accents the notes, basically making them ring out clearer and sound more “important” in the arpeggio.
