Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
How to play Oh! Darling on piano
By The Beatles
- A major
- 12/8
- 90 BPM
- ii–V7–I–IV loop
- 1969
- Medium
Learn Oh! Darling in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bm – E7 – A – D
Oh! Darling sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; E7 is E, G#, B and D; A is A, C# and E; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmiiE7V7AIDIV- BmB · D · F#
- E7E · G# · B · D
- AA · C# · E
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Slow-dance heartbeat
Four slow, deep beats under a swaying fifties ballad. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 134 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Doo-wop chords
Three soft chords on every slow beat: the classic 1950s ballad sound. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 90 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: D – E – A
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA- EE · G# · B
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Questions about Oh! Darling
What chords are in Oh! Darling?
The loop is Bm – E7 – A – D (ii – V7 – I – IV) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is Oh! Darling in?
A major, at about 90 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in Oh! Darling?
Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Oh! Darling 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.