Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Heroes And Villains on piano
Written by Brian Wilson & Van Dyke Parks
- Db major
- 4/4
- 136 BPM
- I–II7–V7–I loop
- 1967
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Heroes And Villains in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Eb7 – Ab7 – Db
How it goes
Heroes And Villains sits in Db major: Db is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db; Ab7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbIEb7II7Ab7V7DbI- DbDb · F · Ab
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- Ab7Ab · C · Eb · Gb
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Sprint-and-stop chords
How it goes
Four quick chords in the first half, then a calm, empty second half. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 136 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: Ebm – Ab7 – Db
How it goes
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbmAb7Db- EbmEb · Gb · Bb
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Questions about Heroes And Villains
What chords are in Heroes And Villains?
The loop is Db – Eb7 – Ab7 – Db (I – II7 – V7 – I) in Db major, and the song ends on Ebm – Ab7 – Db.
What key is Heroes And Villains in?
Db major, at about 136 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Heroes And Villains?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Heroes And Villains 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.