Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Sweet Dreams on piano
Written by Annie Lennox & David Stewart
- F major
- 4/4
- 115 BPM
- 1983
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Sweet Dreams in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – Bb – A7 – Dm
How it goes
Sweet Dreams sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; Bb is Bb, D and F; A7 is A, C#, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmviBbIVA7III7Dmvi- DmD · F · A
- BbBb · D · F
- A7A · C# · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Busy-bee pulse
How it goes
Busy and bouncy, with pushes before beat 3 and at the very end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 176 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Wait-a-beat chords
How it goes
Silence on beat 1, then chords on 2, 3 and 4, leaving room for the bass. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 115 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: Bb – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
Play next
Questions about Sweet Dreams
What chords are in Sweet Dreams?
The loop is Dm – Bb – A7 – Dm (vi – IV – III7 – vi) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Sweet Dreams in?
F major, at about 115 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Sweet Dreams?
Busy-bee pulse: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Sweet Dreams 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.