Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Thorn In My Side on piano
By Eurythmics
- D major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- Medium
Learn Thorn In My Side in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – C – F – C
Thorn In My Side sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; 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.
GIVCbVIIFbIIICbVII- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Gospel-clap chords
Skips beat 1, then soulful chords that bounce off the “ands”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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
- DD · F# · A
Play next
Questions about Thorn In My Side
What chords are in Thorn In My Side?
The loop is G – C – F – C (IV – bVII – bIII – bVII) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Thorn In My Side in?
D major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Thorn In My Side?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Thorn In My Side 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.