Heart Attack Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Heart Attack in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: Db – Ab – Eb – Fm
How it goes
Heart Attack sits in F minor: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbVIAbIIIEbVIIFmi
- DbDb · F · Ab
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FmF · Ab · C
13 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Dawdling footsteps
How it goes
Two steps, then a lazy late note after beat 3 that catches up on 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 222 songs of the library.
Dawdling footstepsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pumping chordsPumping 8ths · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 85 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
5
Ending: Db – Eb – Fm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbFm

What chords are in Heart Attack?

The loop is Db – Ab – Eb – Fm (bVI – bIII – bVII – i) in F minor, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Fm.

What key is Heart Attack in?

F minor, at about 85 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Heart Attack?

Dawdling footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Heart Attack easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.