Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Serious on piano
Written by Simon Lebon, Nick Rhodes & others
- C minor
- 4/4
- 126 BPM
- i–bIII–i–bIII loop
- 1990
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Serious in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Eb – Cm – Eb
How it goes
Serious sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiEbIIICmiEbIII- CmC · Eb · G
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 126 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: Ab – Bb – Cm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
Play next
Questions about Serious
What chords are in Serious?
The loop is Cm – Eb – Cm – Eb (i – bIII – i – bIII) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is Serious in?
C minor, at about 126 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Serious?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Serious 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.