Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Yellow Flicker Beat on piano
By Lorde
- C major
- 4/4
- 95 BPM
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Yellow Flicker Beat in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – D – A – E
Yellow Flicker Beat sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; D is D, F# and A; E is E, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AVIDIIAVIEIII- AA · C# · E
- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Galloping heartbeat
Ta-DUM, ta-DUM: quick pickups into beats 2 and 4, like hooves. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 115 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 95 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: F – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Yellow Flicker Beat
What chords are in Yellow Flicker Beat?
The loop is A – D – A – E (VI5 – II5 – VI5 – III5) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Yellow Flicker Beat in?
C major, at about 95 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Yellow Flicker Beat?
Galloping heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Yellow Flicker Beat 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.