Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Million Pieces on piano
Written by Peter Furler & Steve Taylor
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- I–V–IV–I loop
- 2002
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Million Pieces in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Bb – Ab – Eb
How it goes
Million Pieces 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; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIBbVAbIVEbI- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- AbAb · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 90 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: Eb – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbBbEb
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Questions about Million Pieces
What chords are in Million Pieces?
The loop is Eb – Bb – Ab – Eb (I – V – IV – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Bb – Eb.
What key is Million Pieces in?
Eb major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Million Pieces?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Million Pieces 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.