Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Suburbia on piano
Artist unknown
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 92 BPM
- Medium
Learn Suburbia in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Gb – F – Eb
Suburbia sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Gb is Gb, Bb and Db; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FVIGbbVIIFVIEbV- FF · A · C
- GbGb · Bb · Db
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Hurry-and-wait pulse
Three quick notes rush out early, then the bass waits for the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 336 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Somersault chords
Evenly spaced chords roll across the beats, then flip into the next bar. 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: Db – Eb – Ab
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- DbDb · F · Ab
- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about Suburbia
What chords are in Suburbia?
The loop is F – Gb – F – Eb (VI5 – bVII5 – VI5 – V5) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Suburbia in?
Ab major, at about 92 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Suburbia?
Hurry-and-wait pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Suburbia 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.