Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Tumbling Dice on piano
- C major
- 4/4
- 107 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- Medium
Learn Tumbling Dice in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – F – C – F
Tumbling Dice sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: 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.
CIFIVCIFIV- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- 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: Pony-trot chords
Quick trotting chords, then a jump over beat 3 to its “and”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 107 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 – F – C
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CFC
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Questions about Tumbling Dice
What chords are in Tumbling Dice?
The loop is C – F – C – F (I – IV – I – IV) in C major, and the song ends on C – F – C.
What key is Tumbling Dice in?
C major, at about 107 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Tumbling Dice?
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 Tumbling Dice 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.