Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Bad Love on piano
By Eric Clapton
- D minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1989
- Easy
Learn Bad Love in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – C – G7 – Dm
Bad Love sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; C is C, E and G; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmiCVIIG7IV7Dmi- DmD · F · A
- CC · E · G
- G7G · B · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Knock-knock chords
Chord, a quick knock-knock, a pause, then one last chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Bb – C – Dm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Bad Love
What chords are in Bad Love?
The loop is Dm – C – G7 – Dm (i – bVII – IV7 – i) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Bad Love in?
D minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Bad Love?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Bad Love 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.