Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Beds Are Burning on piano
Written by Robert Hirst, James Moginie & others
- E minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1997
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Beds Are Burning in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – G – A – C
How it goes
Beds Are Burning sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; G is G, B and D; A is A, C# and E; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIGIIIAIVCVI- EE · G# · B
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Push chords
How it goes
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: C – D – Em
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
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Questions about Beds Are Burning
What chords are in Beds Are Burning?
The loop is E – G – A – C (I5 – bIII5 – IV5 – bVI) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Beds Are Burning in?
E minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Beds Are Burning?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Beds Are Burning 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.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.