Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Private Investigations on piano
By Dire Straits
- G major
- 4/4
- 88 BPM
- 1982
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Private Investigations in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – Bm – A – G
How it goes
Private Investigations sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; Bm is B, D and F#; A is A, C# and E; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmviBmiiiAIIGI- EmE · G · B
- BmB · D · F#
- AA · C# · E
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Jack-in-the-box
How it goes
One note jumping up and down an octave on every beat. Musicians call it broken chord 3-10 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 164 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Spinning lantern
How it goes
Notes circle up through the chord and widen, like a spinning lantern. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 88 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: C – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Private Investigations
What chords are in Private Investigations?
The loop is Em – Bm – A – G (vi – iii – II – I) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Private Investigations in?
G major, at about 88 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Private Investigations?
Jack-in-the-box: broken chord 3-10, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Private Investigations 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.