What? Just these three simple chords? Most definitely.

This tutorial will give you a perfect example of just how complex you can get, by creating / copying different instrumental parts, cross-flowing over- and into each other, when diving into the options that chords give you when combined with different patterns. Using different inversions, the key of the song and combining them with patterns can produce a piano part Mozart himself would be proud of, even when the basic harmony is as simple as it is here.

In this version I created of Gotye’s ‘Somebody that I used to know’, I tried to copy as many of the instrumental parts that could be played with just two hands, from the original recording and translated them into this quite hard-to-play piano version.

Simplifying would be quite easy. Just strip away notes. I’ll get more into detail regarding that with every specific part.

As always, first the ‘end result’ is played. The actual tutorial starts at 1:29.

 

Basic pattern / groove.

Though indeed this whole song is built out of just these three simple chords, the majority of the song even only uses two of them! Dm and C.

The tricky part is to keep the pattern / groove steady, as demonstrated with your left hand, while the right hand is going to play melodic phrases and different counter-patterns.

First practise this root – 3+5 pattern with the left hand as demonstrated and play it untill you’re able to keep this grooving while simultaniously cut your sandwich with your right hand and talk with your best friend on the telephone (use speaker for that one ;)).
If you have to think about what you’re playing with your left hand: practice some more.

Intro / theme.

Alternate practicing this left hand pattern with practicing the melody played with your right hand while just playing the root notes (‘d’ followed by ‘c’) with left, to support the melody.

As indicated, the melody is derived from the key of this song Dm. Practice this scale for one minute, every time you go and sit behind a piano before you start practicing the actual song or otherwise play for fun.

See that the ‘flam’ at the end of the melody is actually a Dmadd9add11 (Dm with added ‘e’ and ‘g’).

Next, try and put the left hand pattern and the right hand melody toghether SLOWLY. Look at where the melody notes ‘fall’ (at what beat / count) in the left hand pattern. Toghether? Alternating?
SLOWLY.

Verse.

In the next part, the right hand will start to simulate another rythm guitar from the original recording, using the root and the third of the Dm and C chord. -> ‘d’ + ‘f’ and ‘c’ + ‘e’. Pay attention to the pattern and -again- where those accents fall ‘on’ or ‘off’ of the left hand groove. (this is where the singing starts in the original).

Instrumental interlude / Melody 2.

The second melody with the right hand. Practice in the same way as described for the first melody.

Verse part 2.

This is followed by the second part of the verse with a slightly different pattern in the right hand, but with the exact same notes as in the first ‘Verse’.

Chorus.

This is the really difficult part, as I tried capturing both the melodic instrumental phrases that crawl through the chorus, together with the full accompanying bass / guitar part.

Use octaves in your left hand that emulate the standard left hand pattern, but now play the root of every chord one octave down and in stead of 3+5, you play the octave above.

With the right hand, you simultaniously play the instrumental melody notes (yellow) while on every second beat, when your left hand strikes the highest root note, you strike as many notes of the ‘in between’ harmony (chord) as you can.

The second half is almost the same, but ends in a slightly different way.

Tricky one. Take a close look at the video and try to emulate bit by bit SLOWLY.

Have fun!

Questions? Show me how you play this song? Leave a (video) comment below!