Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Earned It on piano
By The Weeknd
- D minor
- 6/8
- 60 BPM
- iv–i–iv–i loop
- 2015
- Medium
Learn Earned It in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Dm – Gm – Dm
Earned It sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmivDmiGmivDmi- GmG · Bb · D
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Rowing-boat pulse
Six even low notes per bar, rolling along like oars on water. Musicians call it root bass · 6/8 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 240 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rowing-boat chords
Six even chords per bar, rolling along like oars on water. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 60 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
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Earned It
What chords are in Earned It?
The loop is Gm – Dm – Gm – Dm (iv – i – iv – i) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Earned It in?
D minor, at about 60 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Earned It?
Rowing-boat pulse: root bass · 6/8 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Earned It 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.