Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Mysterious Ways on piano
Written by Bryan Adams & Gretchen Peters
- G minor
- 4/4
- 69 BPM
- i–IV7–i–IV7 loop
- 2008
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Mysterious Ways in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – C7 – Gm – C7
How it goes
Mysterious Ways sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmiC7IV7GmiC7IV7- GmG · Bb · D
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Bubbly heartbeat
How it goes
Steady beats filled with quick little pickups around beat 3. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 173 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 69 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 – F – Gm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFGm- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
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Questions about Mysterious Ways
What chords are in Mysterious Ways?
The loop is Gm – C7 – Gm – C7 (i – IV7 – i – IV7) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.
What key is Mysterious Ways in?
G minor, at about 69 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Mysterious Ways?
Bubbly heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 3& · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Mysterious Ways 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.