Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Shirtsleeves on piano

Written by Ed Sheeran

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Shirtsleeves 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
Shirtsleeves 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
266 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
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.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Pop stabs
Chord stabs in the 3-3-2 pop rhythm. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pop stabsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 110 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

What chords are in Shirtsleeves?

The loop is D – A – Bm – G (I – V – vi – IV) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is Shirtsleeves in?

D major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Shirtsleeves?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Shirtsleeves 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.