Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Heartache Tonight on piano
Artist unknown
- G major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- Medium
Learn Heartache Tonight in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – F – C – F#
Heartache Tonight sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G; F# is F#, A# and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbbIIIFbVIICIVF#VII- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- F#F# · A# · C#
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
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: Push chords
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. 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: C – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
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Questions about Heartache Tonight
What chords are in Heartache Tonight?
The loop is Bb – F – C – F# (bIII – bVII – IV – VII) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Heartache Tonight in?
G major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Heartache Tonight?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Heartache Tonight 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.