Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Picture To Burn on piano
By Taylor Swift
- G major
- 4/4
- 118 BPM
- I–ii–IV–V loop
- 2006
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Picture To Burn in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – Am – C – D
How it goes
Picture To Burn sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Am is A, C and E; C is C, E and G; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIAmiiCIVDV- GG · B · D
- AmA · C · E
- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Wait-a-beat chords
How it goes
Silence on beat 1, then chords on 2, 3 and 4, leaving room for the bass. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 118 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 – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG
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Questions about Picture To Burn
What chords are in Picture To Burn?
The loop is G – Am – C – D (I – ii – IV – V) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Picture To Burn in?
G major, at about 118 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Picture To Burn?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Picture To Burn 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.