Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Queen on piano
Written by Shawn Mendes, Teddy Geiger & others
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 131 BPM
- I–bVII–IV–I loop
- 2018
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Queen in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Gb – Db – Ab
How it goes
Queen sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Gb is Gb, Bb and Db; Db is Db, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIGbbVIIDbIVAbI- AbAb · C · Eb
- GbGb · Bb · Db
- DbDb · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Jogging footsteps
How it goes
A calm start, then quick jogging notes through the middle of the bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 159 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Lingering chords
How it goes
Two chords, then a late one after beat 3 that hangs in the air. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 131 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: Gb – Db – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are bVII – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbDbAb
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Questions about Queen
What chords are in Queen?
The loop is Ab – Gb – Db – Ab (I – bVII – IV – I) in Ab major, and the song ends on Gb – Db – Ab.
What key is Queen in?
Ab major, at about 131 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Queen?
Jogging footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Queen 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.