Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Orchid on piano
By Yanni
- E minor
- 2/2
- 138 BPM
- 2008
- Medium
Learn Orchid in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – C – Dsus4 – Em
Orchid sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; C is C, E and G; Dsus4 is D, G and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiCVIDsus4VIIsus4Emi- EmE · G · B
- CC · E · G
- Dsus4D · G · A
- 2
Left hand: Drowsy heartbeat
Two slow notes, then a late one that slips in before the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 889 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Dewdrop twinkle
Two low, close notes twinkling up and back like morning dew. 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- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Orchid
What chords are in Orchid?
The loop is Em – C – Dsus4 – Em (i – bVI – bVIIsus – i) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Orchid in?
E minor, at about 138 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Orchid?
Drowsy heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Orchid 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.