Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Grenade on piano
By Bruno Mars
- D minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 2010
- Medium
Learn Grenade in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – C – Dm – Bb – F – C – Dm – Bb
Grenade sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G; Dm is D, F and A; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIIICVIIDmiBbVIFIIICVIIDmiBbVI- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Falling stars
Three high notes fall over and over, like stars dropping from the sky. 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: Bb – C – Dm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm
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Questions about Grenade
What chords are in Grenade?
The loop is F – C – Dm – Bb – F – C – Dm – Bb (III – VII – i – VI – III – VII – i – VI) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Grenade in?
D minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Grenade?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Grenade easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Grenade?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.