Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Truganini on piano
By Midnight Oil
- G major
- 4/4
- 130 BPM
- 1997
- Medium
Learn Truganini in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – G – A – Em
Truganini sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; G is G, B and D; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmviGIAIIEmvi- EmE · G · B
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
- 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: Skipping-stone chords
One chord, then two bounces on the “ands”, like a stone on water. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 130 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: C – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
Play next
Questions about Truganini
What chords are in Truganini?
The loop is Em – G – A – Em (vi – I – II – vi) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Truganini in?
G major, at about 130 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Truganini?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Truganini 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.