With Playing Tips & Full Video Transcript
Are you a big Charlie Puth or Selena Gomez fan? Do you love their catchy post-breakup duet “We Don’t Talk Anymore”? If so, I have a special treat in store for you: in this video I show you how I play We Don’t Talk Anymore piano style. This song dominated the charts last year, and it’s still stuck in many of our heads! It’s one of many pop songs on piano that are easy to learn.
The Song Itself
Beginning with a quiet but soulful opening vocal, the original rendition of We Don’t Talk Anymore launches into increasing emotion as Puth recalls a past love and how his friendship with her has all but disappeared.we don’t talk anymore piano
The music then builds into a stronger, tropical house rhythm until we are dropped into a particularly emotional moment at the bridge. Finally, voices and instruments blend together for one last refrain before again dropping out. In the end, we are allowed to linger in an unresolved moment of regret.
So much of music is the expression of an emotional trajectory. It mirrors the ups and downs of our experiences in life – and this song is no exception. That makes it a great opportunity to practice showing more nuanced expression in your own piano-playing. It’s a perfect song for you to experiment with stronger, more layered sounds as well as moments of quietness. As you’ll see, that can really highlight the feeling behind the lyrics
Beginning the We Don’t Talk Anymore Piano Cover
As I bring you through the acapella version of the song, I begin with some fairly simple technique and basic chords. I then add a more layered and complex sound transitioning into the chorus – incorporating improv techniques as the song moves into more emotional territory. Let’s look at the journey we take as I play: Click here. The song begins with an isolated, soulful vocal. I allow that to be emphasized by sticking to basic chords for those first few moments. Then the first verse comes in, gradually transitioning into a full-rhythm refrain with brief pauses adding impact.
Each time we enter the chorus, you’ll hear me bring in a layered, more emphatic sound. This is a very effective dynamic used in almost every musical genre. It’s also one that you’ll become more and more comfortable with as you practice your piano transitions.
Adding Nuance Through Technique
Later as the song drops into the more subdued yet intense bridge, I pull back the instrumentation. This really allows the vocals to come to the forefront, and it’s a particularly effective technique. Momentarily bringing down your piano playing can add emotional resonance to your playing. But that’s only if you time it in a way that responds to the lyrics as they are expressed by the singer. Giving the vocals a bit of “breathing room” in highly-emotional moments also makes the transition back into a stronger sound even more impactful.
The very last line of this song is particularly interesting. If you go back and watch that last moment at the end, you’ll notice that the vocal seems to stop in middle of a line. This results in an unresolved effect that perfectly suits the topic of this song!
I emphasize that final moment by also ending my playing in the same fashion. It can be tempting to fade out or slow down at the end of the song, but playing the We Don’t Talk Anymore piano cover is a great opportunity to use a different technique and end with a bit more emotional resonance.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it: “We Don’t Talk Anymore”, piano style. It’s one of many easy pop songs to play on piano that uses my methods.
But like I said at the start of my video, I don’t want you to just robotically memorize this We Don’t Talk Anymore piano cover (or any other song, for that matter). The goal of my video, and of my methods as a whole, is to free you from agonizing rote practice and help you to figure out how to play songs that you love. So my intention is to give you a glimpse of what’s possible – the rest is up to you!
I hope you’ve gleaned some helpful tips from my “We Don’t Talk Anymore” Piano Cover video and post. You can also read the video transcript down below.
Have You Done a We Don’t Talk Anymore Piano Cover?
I’d love to hear from you if you’ve tried to play We Don’t Talk Anymore on your own piano or keyboard. How did it go? Please be sure to leave me a comment below. And don’t forget, my free 5-day workbook is ready and waiting for you! All you need to do is follow this link to sign up and get started today. Enjoy!
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