Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Starboy on piano
Artist unknown
- A minor
- 4/4
- 92 BPM
- i–bVII–bVI–bVII loop
- Medium
Learn Starboy in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – G – F – G
Starboy sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; G is G, B and D; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiGVIIFVIGVII- AmA · C · E
- GG · B · D
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Butterfly heartbeat
A quick fluttery group at the start, then a long glide to beat 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 89 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 92 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: F – G – Am
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm
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Questions about Starboy
What chords are in Starboy?
The loop is Am – G – F – G (i – bVII – bVI – bVII) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is Starboy in?
A minor, at about 92 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Starboy?
Butterfly heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Starboy 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.