Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Heathens on piano
- G major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 2016
- Medium
Learn Heathens in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Am – E – C
Heathens sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Am is A, C and E; E is E, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIVAmiiEVICIV- CC · E · G
- AmA · C · E
- EE · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Dawdling footsteps
Two steps, then a lazy late note after beat 3 that catches up on 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 222 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 90 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 Heathens
What chords are in Heathens?
The loop is C – Am – E – C (IV – ii – VI – IV) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Heathens in?
G major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Heathens?
Dawdling footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Heathens 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.