Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Heart Shaped Box on piano
By Nirvana
- E minor
- 4/4
- 126 BPM
- 1993
- Medium
Learn Heart Shaped Box in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – Am7 – A – A7 – C – B7 – B
Heart Shaped Box sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: Em is E, G and B; Am7 is A, C, E and G; A is A, C# and E; A7 is A, C#, E and G; C is C, E and G; B7 is B, D#, F# and A; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiAm7iv7AIVA7IV7CVIB7V7BV- EmE · G · B
- Am7A · C · E · G
- AA · C# · E
- A7A · C# · E · G
- CC · E · G
- B7B · D# · F# · A
- BB · D# · F#
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 126 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: C – D – Em
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- DD · F# · A
Play next
Questions about Heart Shaped Box
What chords are in Heart Shaped Box?
The loop is Em – Am7 – A – A7 – C – B7 – B (i – iv7 – IV – IV7 – VI – V7 – V) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Heart Shaped Box in?
E minor, at about 126 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Heart Shaped Box?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Heart Shaped Box easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Heart Shaped Box?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.