Everybody Hurts is the classic 90s hit by the band R.E.M. In this Everybody Hurts piano tutorial you will learn the iconic piano accompaniment and some great embellishments too! SHOCKINGLY easy to play.
Lyrics and Chords printable for Everybody Hurts
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Everybody Hurts is the classic song by R.E.M for their 1992 album Automatic for the People. It was a huge hit for the group and has made a ton of lists of “best songs ever”. The bulk of the song was written by R.E.M drummer Bill Berry, but the entire band gets the songwriting credit for it. Interestingly, there are almost no drums in the song.
In this tutorial, we follow the usual four step protocol for learning to sing and play songs.
Step #1: Learn the chords
Step #2: Learn the inversions
Step #3: Learn the accompaniment strategy.
Step #4: Put it all together.
A note on the Everybody Hurts time signature
The groove of this song can be written in one of two ways (see below). Each notation sounds exactly the same - it is a matter of personal preference for publishing.
Lyrics and Chords to Everybody Hurts
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Step #2: Chord inversions
Here are the chord inversions I chose for this tutorial. Remember, you can always choose whichever chord inversions you like. OR - stick with Root Position!
Step #3: Learn the accompaniment strategy
For our accompaniment strategy, we are going to arpeggiate the chord inversions that I showed you in Step #2. This is a very similar accompaniment strategy as we would use for Can’t Help Falling in Love with You or What a Wonderful World. When you get to the B section, you can block the chords more.
Step #3: Learn the accompaniment strategy
Notice how the hands work together to fill the space with the material we learned in steps 2 and 3!
Step #4: Put it all together
Remember that you can (and should!) customize this to fit your skill level. If the chord inversions are too challenging for you, then play them all root position. If you want to level it up, try altering the groove or adding some solo fills.
Try to avoid getting stuck in the little details! The goal is for you to learn to sing and play more songs - not drown in a pool of perfectionism. Have fun - it’s only music!
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