Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play O, Lover on piano
Written by Jason Mraz & Dennis Morris
- D minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 2005
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn O, Lover in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – Bbm – Am – Dm
How it goes
O, Lover sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; Bbm is Bb, Db and F; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmiBbmviAmvDmi- DmD · F · A
- BbmBb · Db · F
- AmA · C · E
- 2
Left hand: Hurry-and-wait pulse
How it goes
Three quick notes rush out early, then the bass waits for the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 336 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 120 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: Bb – C – Dm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
Play next
Questions about O, Lover
What chords are in O, Lover?
The loop is Dm – Bbm – Am – Dm (i – bvi – v – i) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is O, Lover in?
D minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in O, Lover?
Hurry-and-wait pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is O, Lover 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.