How to play Sick In The Head on piano

Learn Sick In The Head in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: G – Em – D – G
How it goes
Sick In The Head sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Em is E, G and B; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIEmviDVGI
- GG · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- DD · F# · A
34 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
How it goes
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Heartbeat octavesRocking octaves · RockLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
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: C – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG
- CC · E · G

What chords are in Sick In The Head?

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

What key is Sick In The Head in?

G major, at about 126 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Sick In The Head?

Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Sick In The Head 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.