Piano chords · Lullaby boat

How to play The Wire on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn The Wire in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G – D – Bm – A
How it goes
The Wire sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIVDIBmviAV
- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- AA · C# · E
62 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Rowing-boat pulse
How it goes
Six even low notes per bar, rolling along like oars on water. Musicians call it root bass · 6/8 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 240 songs of the library.
Rowing-boat pulseRoot bass rhythm · LullabyLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Cradle chords
How it goes
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Cradle chordsSyncopated chords · LullabyRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 160 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: G – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD

What chords are in The Wire?

The loop is G – D – Bm – A (IV – I – vi – V) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is The Wire in?

D major, at about 160 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in The Wire?

Rowing-boat pulse: root bass · 6/8 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Wire 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.