Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Girl On Fire on piano
By Alicia Keys
- A major
- 4/4
- 73 BPM
- 2012
- Medium
Learn Girl On Fire in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – A – F#m – C#m
Girl On Fire sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; A is A, C# and E; F#m is F#, A and C#; C#m is C#, E and G#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EVAIF#mviC#miii- EE · G# · B
- AA · C# · E
- F#mF# · A · C#
- C#mC# · E · G#
- 2
Left hand: Fluttering heartbeat
A quick flutter before beat 2, then a push before beat 3. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 152 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 73 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: D – E – A
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Girl On Fire
What chords are in Girl On Fire?
The loop is E – A – F#m – C#m (V – I – vi – iii) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is Girl On Fire in?
A major, at about 73 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Girl On Fire?
Fluttering heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Girl On Fire 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.