Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
How to play Murder By Numbers on piano
Written by Sting & Andy Summers
- E minor
- 12/8
- 138 BPM
- 1983
- Medium
Learn Murder By Numbers in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – Fsus4 – B7 – Bb
Murder By Numbers sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; Fsus4 is F, Bb and C; B7 is B, D#, F# and A; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiFsus4bIIsus4B7V7Bb#IV- EmE · G · B
- Fsus4F · Bb · C
- B7B · D# · F# · A
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Jukebox leaps
Bass, chord, bass, chord in a slow, swaying 1950s groove. Musicians call it stride (12/8) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 22 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Slow-dance chords
Four slow chords per bar under a swaying fifties ballad. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 138 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: C – D – Em
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Murder By Numbers
What chords are in Murder By Numbers?
The loop is Em – Fsus4 – B7 – Bb (i – bIIsus – V7 – #IV) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Murder By Numbers in?
E minor, at about 138 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in Murder By Numbers?
Jukebox leaps: stride (12/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Murder By Numbers 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.