Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Ship to Wreck on piano
- C major
- 4/4
- 140 BPM
- 2015
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Ship to Wreck in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – F – Dm – Am
How it goes
Ship to Wreck sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; F is F, A and C; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviFIVDmiiAmvi- AmA · C · E
- FF · A · C
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Groovy roots
How it goes
Notes jump around the “ands”, giving the bass a funky bounce. Musicians call it root bass · syncopated 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 363 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Skipping-stone chords
How it goes
One chord, then two bounces on the “ands”, like a stone on water. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 140 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 – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
Play next
Questions about Ship to Wreck
What chords are in Ship to Wreck?
The loop is Am – F – Dm – Am (vi – IV – ii – vi) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Ship to Wreck in?
C major, at about 140 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Ship to Wreck?
Groovy roots: root bass · syncopated 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ship to Wreck 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.