Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Real Love on piano

Written by Mark C. Rooney, Mark Morales & others

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Real Love in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: Dm7 – Em7 – Em7 – Am7 – Dm7 – Em7 – Em7 – Am7
How it goes
Real Love sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: Dm7 is D, F, A and C; Em7 is E, G, B and D; Am7 is A, C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Dm7iv7Em7v7Em7v7Am7i7Dm7iv7Em7v7Em7v7Am7i7
- Dm7D · F · A · C
- Em7E · G · B · D
- Am7A · C · E · G
2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
Tick-tick-boom pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pumping chordsPumping 8ths · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 95 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: F – G – Am
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- AmA · C · E

What chords are in Real Love?

The loop is Dm7 – Em7 – Em7 – Am7 – Dm7 – Em7 – Em7 – Am7 (iv7 – v7 – i7 – iv7 – v7 – i7 – iv7 – v7) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.

What key is Real Love in?

A minor, at about 95 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Real Love?

Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Real Love easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Real Love?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.