Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Mr Brightside on piano
By The Killers
- Db major
- 4/4
- 148 BPM
- I–IV–vi–V loop
- 2003
- Medium
Learn Mr Brightside in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Gb – Bbm – Ab
Mr Brightside sits in Db major: Db is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Gb is Gb, Bb and Db; Bbm is Bb, Db and F; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbIGbIVBbmviAbV- DbDb · F · Ab
- GbGb · Bb · Db
- BbmBb · Db · F
- AbAb · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Bubble pop
A note leaps up to a higher one and back, popping like bubbles. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 148 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: Gb – Ab – Db
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbAbDb
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Questions about Mr Brightside
What chords are in Mr Brightside?
The loop is Db – Gb – Bbm – Ab (I – IV – vi – V) in Db major, and the song ends on Gb – Ab – Db.
What key is Mr Brightside in?
Db major, at about 148 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Mr Brightside?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Mr Brightside 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.