Piano chords · Bossa beach

How to play 1000 Miles Away on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn 1000 Miles Away in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Em – D – Em – D
How it goes
1000 Miles Away sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiiDIEmiiDI
- EmE · G · B
- DD · F# · A
52 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Lazy seesaw
How it goes
A low note, a higher one, a gap, then the higher one again. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-5 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 520 songs of the library.
Lazy seesawRoot–fifth bass · Bossa novaLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Circling light
How it goes
Three notes circle round and round in a soft, glowing loop. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Circling lightBroken-chord figure · Film scoreRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 112 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 – G – D
How it goes
The last chords are bVII – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CGD
- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D

What chords are in 1000 Miles Away?

The loop is Em – D – Em – D (ii – I – ii – I) in D major, and the song ends on C – G – D.

What key is 1000 Miles Away in?

D major, at about 112 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in 1000 Miles Away?

Lazy seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is 1000 Miles Away 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.