Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Numb on piano

By Alecia Moore and Dallas Austin

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Numb in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: E – Eb – G – F – E – Eb – G – F
How it goes
Numb sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: E is E, G# and B; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; G is G, B and D; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
E#IVEbIVGVIFVE#IVEbIVGVIFV
- EE · G# · B
- EbEb · G · Bb
- GG · B · D
- FF · A · C
2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Power fifthsLeft-hand chords · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Steady chordsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 100 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 – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb
- BbBb · D · F

What chords are in Numb?

The loop is E – Eb – G – F – E – Eb – G – F (#IV – IV – VI – V – #IV – IV – VI – V) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Numb in?

Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Numb?

Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Numb easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Numb?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.