Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Troublemaker on piano
By Olly Murs
- C minor
- 4/4
- 108 BPM
- 2012
- Medium
Learn Troublemaker in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Fm – G – Cm
Troublemaker sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Fm is F, Ab and C; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiFmivGVCmi- CmC · Eb · G
- FmF · Ab · C
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
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
Right hand: Neon flicker
A rich chord, then two notes flickering with a cool, bluesy glow. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 108 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 Troublemaker
What chords are in Troublemaker?
The loop is Cm – Fm – G – Cm (i – iv – V – i) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is Troublemaker in?
C minor, at about 108 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Troublemaker?
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 Troublemaker 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.