Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Strangely Dim on piano

Written by Mia Fieldes, Francesca Battistelli & others

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Strangely Dim in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Ab – Eb – Fm – Ab
How it goes
Strangely Dim sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIEbVFmviAbI
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FmF · Ab · C
58 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Galloping heartbeat
How it goes
Ta-DUM, ta-DUM: quick pickups into beats 2 and 4, like hooves. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 115 songs of the library.
Galloping heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Swing push
How it goes
Three chords tumble out early with a swing, then the bar breathes. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Swing pushSyncopated chords · Blues and boogie-woogieRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 100 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: Db – Eb – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb
- DbDb · F · Ab