Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Black Heart on piano
By Stooshe
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 110 BPM
- I–V–ii–IV loop
- Medium
Learn Black Heart in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Eb – Bbm – Db
Black Heart sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bbm is Bb, Db and F; Db is Db, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIEbVBbmiiDbIV- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbmBb · Db · F
- DbDb · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
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.
- 3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 110 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: Bbm – Db – Ab
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbmDbAb
Play next
Questions about Black Heart
What chords are in Black Heart?
The loop is Ab – Eb – Bbm – Db (I – V – ii – IV) in Ab major, and the song ends on Bbm – Db – Ab.
What key is Black Heart in?
Ab major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Black Heart?
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 Black Heart 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.