Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Poor Unfortunate Souls on piano
- C minor
- 2/2
- 136 BPM
- 1988
- Easy
Learn Poor Unfortunate Souls in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G7 – Cm – Dm – G7
Poor Unfortunate Souls sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7V7CmiDmiiG7V7- G7G · B · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Pausing footsteps
Three even steps, then a quiet beat to breathe. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hand-clap chords
Rests on beat 1, then clap-clap on 2 and one more clap on 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 136 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: Ab – Bb – Cm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Poor Unfortunate Souls
What chords are in Poor Unfortunate Souls?
The loop is G7 – Cm – Dm – G7 (V7 – i – ii – V7) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is Poor Unfortunate Souls in?
C minor, at about 136 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Poor Unfortunate Souls?
Pausing footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Poor Unfortunate Souls easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.