Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Bad Girlfriend on piano
By Anne-Marie
- E minor
- 4/4
- 146 BPM
- 2018
- Medium
Learn Bad Girlfriend in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – D – G – Am
Bad Girlfriend sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiDVIIGIIIAmiv- EmE · G · B
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- AmA · C · E
- 2
Left hand: Island pulse
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Candle flicker
Two low chord notes flicker back and forth, warm like candlelight. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 146 BPM
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
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- CC · E · G
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Questions about Bad Girlfriend
What chords are in Bad Girlfriend?
The loop is Em – D – G – Am (i – bVII – bIII – iv) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Bad Girlfriend in?
E minor, at about 146 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Bad Girlfriend?
Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Bad Girlfriend 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.