Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Closer on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Closer in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – A – B – D
Closer sits in B minor: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIIIAVIIBIDIII
- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
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.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Rising chords
Up the chord and back in quick notes, gently lifting the song. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Rising chordsRising arpeggio · BalladRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 90 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: G – A – Bm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GABm
- GG · B · D
- BmB · D · F#

What chords are in Closer?

The loop is D – A – B – D (III – VII – I – III) in B minor, and the song ends on G – A – Bm.

What key is Closer in?

B minor, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Closer?

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 Closer 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.

Can I hear the real melody of Closer?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.