Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Heaven Can Wait (Love Theme) on piano
By Dave Grusin
- A major
- 4/4
- 63 BPM
- 1978
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Heaven Can Wait (Love Theme) in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – F#m – Bm – Esus4
How it goes
Heaven Can Wait (Love Theme) sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; F#m is F#, A and C#; Bm is B, D and F#; Esus4 is E, A and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIF#mviBmiiEsus4Vsus4- AA · C# · E
- F#mF# · A · C#
- BmB · D · F#
- Esus4E · A · B
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
How it goes
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 63 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: D – E – A
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
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Questions about Heaven Can Wait (Love Theme)
What chords are in Heaven Can Wait (Love Theme)?
The loop is A – F#m – Bm – Esus4 (I – vi – ii – Vsus) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is Heaven Can Wait (Love Theme) in?
A major, at about 63 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Heaven Can Wait (Love Theme)?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Heaven Can Wait (Love Theme) 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 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.