Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Need You Tonight on piano
By Inxs
- C minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- i–IV–i–IV loop
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Need You Tonight in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – F – Cm – F
How it goes
Need You Tonight sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiFIVCmiFIV- CmC · Eb · G
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
How it goes
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Ab – Bb – Cm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Need You Tonight
What chords are in Need You Tonight?
The loop is Cm – F – Cm – F (i – IV – i – IV) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is Need You Tonight in?
C minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Need You Tonight?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Need You Tonight easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.