Piano chords · Classical salon
How to play Bad Things on piano
By Jace Everett
- E minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- i–V–i–V loop
- Medium
Learn Bad Things in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – B – Em – B
Bad Things sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiBVEmiBV- EmE · G · B
- BB · D# · F#
- 2
Left hand: Little steps
Up the chord and back, one step at a time. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5-3 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 304 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Starlight twinkle
A chord, then two high notes twinkling like distant stars. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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
- DD · F# · A
Play next
Questions about Bad Things
What chords are in Bad Things?
The loop is Em – B – Em – B (i – V – i – V) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Bad Things in?
E minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Bad Things?
Little steps: broken chord 1-3-5-3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Bad Things 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.