Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Trouble on piano
Written by Daniel Reynolds, Daniel Sermon & others
- C minor
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 2015
- Medium
Learn Trouble in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Eb – Eb – Cm
Trouble sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIIIEbIIIEbIIICmi- EbEb · G · Bb
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Hurrying footsteps
Calm steps in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 642 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: Ab – Bb – Cm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Trouble
What chords are in Trouble?
The loop is Eb – Eb – Eb – Cm (III – i – III – i) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is Trouble in?
C minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Trouble?
Hurrying footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Trouble 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.
Can I hear the real melody of Trouble?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.