Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Heading For The Light on piano
Written by The Traveling Wilburys
- B major
- 4/4
- 126 BPM
- 1988
- Tricky
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Heading For The Light in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – F# – Em – F#
How it goes
Heading For The Light sits in B major: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; F# is F#, A# and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmivF#VEmivF#V- EmE · G · B
- F#F# · A# · C#
- 2
Left hand: Walking roots
How it goes
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Trotting-sleigh chords
How it goes
Three quick chords on every beat: a rolling, joyful gallop. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 126 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: E – F# – B
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EF#B- EE · G# · B
- BB · D# · F#
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Questions about Heading For The Light
What chords are in Heading For The Light?
The loop is Em – F# – Em – F# (iv – V – iv – V) in B major, and the song ends on E – F# – B.
What key is Heading For The Light in?
B major, at about 126 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Heading For The Light?
Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Heading For The Light easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky 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.