Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s catchy love ballad, “Die With A Smile,” smoothly draws listeners in with its rhythmic and harmonic structures.
In the video above, you can hear my arrangement of “Die With A Smile,” for which I’ve created a detailed piano lesson: https://learn.marisamusicstudio.com/products/courses/die-with-a-smile-piano-lesson.
Get the sheet music for “Die With A Smile” here: https://www.mymusicsheet.com/marisasmusicstudio/294090
The rhythm waltzes along in 6/8 time with a mellow, swing feel that keeps the listener engaged. The song’s intro presents a strong rhythmic hook with an eighth note, followed by two sixteenths, then another eighth, emphasizing the first and fourth beats of the measure.
The key of the song is A major and both intro and verse are made up of just two chords – the tonic (I) and subdominant (IV) chords, built on the first and fourth tones, respectively, of the scale.
It’s how these chords are built that gives the song its jazzy feel.
The two chords that make up the intro and verse are both Major 7th chords (Amaj7 and Dmaj7).
The ingredients of a Major 7th chord are four tones that are stacked a third apart (the root note, major third, perfect fifth, and major seventh above the root). In other words, it is a major triad with an added major seventh note above the root (11 half steps higher than the root, or a half-step lower than the root note above the triad).
Major 7th chords create a mellow and bright quality that is commonly used in jazz and popular music. Played closely together, the root and seventh tones of the chord would have a dissonant sound, yet spread apart by the interval of a seventh, and then filled in with notes of a major triad, a pleasing, dreamy quality is created.
Even more complexity is added to the harmonic structure with the use of extended chords – those that continue up in thirds beyond the seventh interval.
In the chorus and interlude, the song’s harmonies are expanded with the use of 9th and 13th chords. These extended chords add interest, color and depth to the music.
“Die With A Smile” is a great song that also sounds really good as a piano solo.
My cover arrangement is simple enough for an experienced, determined beginner to learn, yet still satisfying for more advanced players.
I hope you will learn and enjoy playing this song too!