Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Hurt Lovers on piano
By Blue
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 112 BPM
- I–V–vi–IV loop
- Medium
Learn Hurt Lovers in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Bb – Cm – Ab
Hurt Lovers sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIBbVCmviAbIV- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- AbAb · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Island pulse
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (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 112 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: Ab – Bb7 – Eb
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBb7Eb- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
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Questions about Hurt Lovers
What chords are in Hurt Lovers?
The loop is Eb – Bb – Cm – Ab (I – V – vi – IV) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb7 – Eb.
What key is Hurt Lovers in?
Eb major, at about 112 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Hurt Lovers?
Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hurt Lovers 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.