Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play The Needle And The Spoon on piano

Written by Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 100 BPM
  • 1974
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Push chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn The Needle And The Spoon in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Dm – C – F – Dm

    How it goes

    The Needle And The Spoon sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    DmiiCIFIVDmii
    • DmD · F · A
    • CC · E · G
    • FF · A · C
  2. 2

    Left hand: Pop heartbeat

    How it goes

    Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Push chords

    How it goes

    Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 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. 5

    Ending: F – G – C

    How it goes

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    FGC
    • GG · B · D

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Questions about The Needle And The Spoon

What chords are in The Needle And The Spoon?

The loop is Dm – C – F – Dm (ii – I – IV – ii) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is The Needle And The Spoon in?

C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Needle And The Spoon?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Needle And The Spoon easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.