Piano chords · Bossa beach
How to play The Needle And The Damage Done on piano
By Neil Young
- D major
- 4/4
- 105 BPM
- Medium
Learn The Needle And The Damage Done in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – G – Gm – C
The Needle And The Damage Done sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D; Gm is G, Bb and D; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGIVGmivCbVII- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- GmG · Bb · D
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Lazy seesaw
A low note, a higher one, a gap, then the higher one again. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-5 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 520 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 105 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: G – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- AA · C# · E
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Questions about The Needle And The Damage Done
What chords are in The Needle And The Damage Done?
The loop is D – G – Gm – C (I – IV – iv – bVII) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is The Needle And The Damage Done in?
D major, at about 105 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Needle And The Damage Done?
Lazy seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Needle And The Damage Done 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.