Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Rock Star on piano
- D major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- Medium
Learn Rock Star in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – A – B – G
Rock Star sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E; B is B, D# and F#; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIAVBVIGIV- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Three-step climb
Root, fifth, octave, then let it ring. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: G – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD
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Questions about Rock Star
What chords are in Rock Star?
The loop is D – A – B – G (I5 – V5 – VI5 – IV5) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Rock Star in?
D major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Rock Star?
Three-step climb: broken chord 1-5-8, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Rock Star 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.