Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Hanging On The Telephone on piano
Written by Jack Lee
- G minor
- 4/4
- 154 BPM
- 1978
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Hanging On The Telephone in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Ebsus4 – Gm – Ebsus4
How it goes
Hanging On The Telephone sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Ebsus4 is Eb, Ab and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmiEbsus4VIsus4GmiEbsus4VIsus4- GmG · Bb · D
- Ebsus4Eb · Ab · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
How it goes
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 154 BPM
How it goes
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: Eb – F – Gm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFGm- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
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Questions about Hanging On The Telephone
What chords are in Hanging On The Telephone?
The loop is Gm – Ebsus4 – Gm – Ebsus4 (i – bVIsus – i – bVIsus) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.
What key is Hanging On The Telephone in?
G minor, at about 154 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Hanging On The Telephone?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hanging On The Telephone 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.