Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play I Am The Walrus on piano
By The Beatles
- A major
- 4/4
- 88 BPM
- 1967
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I Am The Walrus in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – G – C – D
How it goes
I Am The Walrus sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; G is G, B and D; C is C, E and G; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIGbVIICbIIIDIV- AA · C# · E
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Lub-dub heartbeat
How it goes
Two quick beats, a pause, two quick beats: just like a real heart. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1& · 3 · 3& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 294 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Candle flicker
How it goes
Two low chord notes flicker back and forth, warm like candlelight. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 88 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- EE · G# · B
Play next
Questions about I Am The Walrus
What chords are in I Am The Walrus?
The loop is A – G – C – D (I – bVII – bIII – IV) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is I Am The Walrus in?
A major, at about 88 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I Am The Walrus?
Lub-dub heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1& · 3 · 3&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Am The Walrus 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.