Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Ruin on piano
Artist unknown
- D major
- 6/8
- 63 BPM
- I–V–vi–IV loop
- Medium
Learn Ruin in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – A – Bm – G
Ruin 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; Bm 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.
DIAVBmviGIV- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- BmB · D · F#
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Hammock heartbeat
Long-short, long-short: the low notes sway like a hammock. Musicians call it root bass · 6/8 lilt (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 128 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 63 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: D – Bm – D
The last chords are I – vi – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DBmD
Play next
Questions about Ruin
What chords are in Ruin?
The loop is D – A – Bm – G (I – V – vi – IV) in D major, and the song ends on D – Bm – D.
What key is Ruin in?
D major, at about 63 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Ruin?
Hammock heartbeat: root bass · 6/8 lilt, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ruin 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.