Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Thinking Out Loud on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Thinking Out Loud in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – G – Bm7 – D – G – Em7
Thinking Out Loud sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D; Bm7 is B, D, F# and A; Em7 is E, G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGIVBm7vi7DIGIVEm7ii7
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- Bm7B · D · F# · A
- Em7E · G · B · D
87 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Power fifths
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Power fifthsLeft-hand chords · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Steady chords
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Steady chordsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 80 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: Em – A – D
The last chords are ii – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EmAD
- EmE · G · B
- AA · C# · E

What chords are in Thinking Out Loud?

The loop is D – G – Bm7 – D – G – Em7 (I – IV – vi7 – I – IV – ii7) in D major, and the song ends on Em – A – D.

What key is Thinking Out Loud in?

D major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Thinking Out Loud?

Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Thinking Out Loud easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Thinking Out Loud?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.