When I'm Sixty-Four (The Beatles): Solo Piano Tutorial
Jason Zac's solo piano arrangement of When I'm Sixty-Four is played in the original key of Db major with a swung 4/4 feel, a root-and-fifth bass inspired by the bass guitar, and right-hand harmonies that recreate the song's vocals, horns and clarinet.
Key points
- The arrangement is in Db major, the original key, in swung 4/4.
- The left hand mostly plays root and fifth, like the original bass guitar, with a walking bass in the trickiest phrase.
- Right-hand harmonies and fillers recreate the vocals, horns and clarinet of the record.
- Snap on beats 2 and 4 while practising the melody to lock in the swing feel.
- Beginners can play just the soprano melody and skip the harmonic embellishments.
What this lesson teaches
This lesson walks through Jason Zac's solo piano arrangement of The Beatles' When I'm Sixty-Four. In a solo arrangement there is no band or singer, so the piano has to carry everything. Because the original is built on vocals, bass, drums, horns and clarinet rather than piano, the arrangement borrows ideas from all of those parts: the melody, the bass line, and the wind fillers and passing notes, placed in different octaves. It suits intermediate players, with a simplified route for beginners.
The melody and left hand are taught together, section by section, so you never have to add the left hand later.
The fundamentals
- Key: Db major, the original key. It has five flats, so you play all the black notes, and the only white notes are F and C.
- Metre and feel: 4/4 with swung eighth notes. Pairs of eighths are played long-short rather than evenly.
- Form: an intro and an identical outro, an A section (the verse) and a B section.
Intro and outro
The melody starts on F with your thumb. Under the top line (the soprano) Jason adds a second, lower line, a tenor part that forms a small counterpoint, and finishes the intro with a short bluesy lick. The left hand plays Db and Ab, root and fifth, much like the bass guitar in the record. The outro is the same, except it ends on a simple root, fifth and octave in the bass.
The A section (verse)
Line one
The first line uses almost the same melody and bass pattern as the intro, climbing to the higher Ab. Between phrases, the right hand plays a harmonised version of the high oboe or clarinet filler heard in the background, followed by a descending line.
Line two
This line looks easy but is full of chromatic notes, called accidentals: notes outside the scale that add flavour. On the birthday greetings phrase the melody moves chromatically from C up to Eb. When the chord changes to Ab major, the left hand plays the same root-fifth pattern on Ab. On some phrases the right hand harmonises the melody while the left hand follows the original bass, before returning to the usual root-fifth groove.
Line three
Here extra harmonic hits are added in the right hand. The melody is moved up an octave, because playing left-hand chords under a melody around middle C sounds too thick. Under the lock the door phrase the bass climbs Db, Eb, F, Gb, while the word door arrives slightly early, which needs some hand independence.
The trickiest part
The will you still need me phrase uses a jazzy walking bass inspired by the horn part, built around chord roots and fifths such as Bb and F. Learn the bass first and sing along with it. The final words are harmonised with rich chords that give an Eb9 sound and then an Ab13 sound, imagined as a full horn section. The A section ends with a simple Db arpeggio.
The B section
The B section changes mood to something more melancholic, with the melody taken up an octave. Watch the offbeats where the vocal comes in just ahead of the beat. The left hand starts on Bb minor root and fifth, then climbs in thirds, ending on F and Ab. Use the sustain pedal to connect the jumps and play this part softer.
The scrimp and save line imitates the backing vocals: hold the soprano note while a lower third moves beneath it, over a Bb in the bass, then build a crescendo. Staccato chords and octaves harmonise the melody so the top end does not sound weak. The Vera, Chuck and Dave passage is an interplay of hands in the pattern left, right, left, left, right, ending on the dominant Ab7 (Ab C Eb Gb) before the outro.
How to practise
- Whenever you practise the melody alone, snap your left hand on beats 2 and 4 to feel the swing.
- Beginners: skip the right-hand harmonic embellishments and play only the soprano melody with the bass.
- Intermediate and advanced players: play it as written, then improvise around it.
- If you know chord theory, write down each chord before you play.
- Listen to the original recording to hear the bass and horn parts being copied.
Questions about this lesson
What key is this When I'm Sixty-Four piano arrangement in?
It is in Db major, the song's original key. Db major has five flats, so apart from F and C every note you play is a black key.
What does the left hand play in When I'm Sixty-Four on piano?
Mostly the root and fifth of each chord, such as Db and Ab, copying the bass guitar. One phrase uses a jazzy walking bass, and the B section starts on Bb minor root and fifth before climbing in thirds.
Can a beginner play this arrangement?
Yes, in a simplified form. Ignore the harmonic embellishments in the right hand and play only the soprano melody over the bass.
How do I get the swing feel right?
Play the eighth notes long-short instead of evenly, and when practising the melody, snap your left hand on beats 2 and 4 so you feel the groove.
Practise it
- Swing GardenWork with straight and swung rhythm in an interactive teaching workspace.
- WoodshedKeep a practice record, set goals and work on songs with tools for looping, changing speed and changing key.
- Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
- All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.
Related lessons
- The Floating Fifth Chord: Emotional Solo Piano Harmony With Minimal MovementThe floating fifth is a left-hand piano technique where the pinky holds a bass root as a whole note while the thumb plays the fifth on every offbeat, and then the pinky moves to new roots (in Bb minor: Bb, Gb, Ab) while the thumb stays on F, implying full chords without muddy triads.
- Left-Hand Independence on Piano: The Starter ExerciseTo build left-hand independence on piano, hold the bass note G down with your left little finger while your other fingers play a swung eighth-note broken G minor chord pattern, then move only the little finger between G and F while the rest of the chord stays the same.
- Left-Hand Piano: Build Bass Lines With Broken Chords (Blues & Rock)To build a moving left-hand bass line on piano, break the chord up, either bass note then the upper two notes (oom-pah) or the outer two notes then the middle note, and then vary the bass with a root-and-fifth toggle or a descending line cliché while the right hand plays melody.
- The 12-Bar Blues Bassline Every Piano Left Hand Needs to LearnThe classic 12-bar blues left-hand bassline plays the 1, 3, 5 and 6 of each chord's own root (Bb D F G over Bb7), then grows into a two-bar 1-3-5-6-b7-6-5-3 line, while the right hand comps dominant seventh chords in a swung Charleston rhythm.