Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play The Last Ship on piano
Written by Sting
- E minor
- 3/4
- 155 BPM
- 2013
- Medium
Learn The Last Ship in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – Bm – Am – Bm
The Last Ship sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; Bm is B, D and F#; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIBmvAmivBmv- EE · G# · B
- BmB · D · F#
- AmA · C · E
- 2
Left hand: Oom-pah-pah
One strong beat and two light ones: a dance in three. Musicians call it waltz oom-pah-pah (waltz), an easy pattern heard in 526 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Waltzing clock
One note ticking six times per waltz bar, light and even. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 155 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: C – D – Em
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
Play next
Questions about The Last Ship
What chords are in The Last Ship?
The loop is E – Bm – Am – Bm (I5 – v – iv – v) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is The Last Ship in?
E minor, at about 155 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in The Last Ship?
Oom-pah-pah: waltz oom-pah-pah, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Last Ship 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.