Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Flares on piano

Written by Danny O’Donoghue, Mark Sheehan & others

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Flares in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Cm – Ab – Eb – Fm
How it goes
Flares sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; 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.
CmviAbIVEbIFmii
- CmC · Eb · G
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FmF · Ab · 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.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
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.
Pausing chordsBlock chords · ClassicalRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 82 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 – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb
- BbBb · D · F

What chords are in Flares?

The loop is Cm – Ab – Eb – Fm (vi – IV – I – ii) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.

What key is Flares in?

Eb major, at about 82 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Flares?

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 Flares 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.