In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to play a cool arrangement of Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran. This song has a lot of great elements in it – an awesome guitar hook (which I’ll show you), a reggae-inspired piano part and an interlocking left hand/right hand groove that I put together
Bad Habits was a huge hit for British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran in 2021. As with most of his songs, this one is harmonically simple and uses a hook and groove to add interest and excitement.
You can easily level this down this arrangement of Bad Habits if you are a less-experienced pianist or challenge yourself to learn the whole thing.
My method for teaching pop songs on piano is super simple. Watch this video to learn my simple 3-step method.
Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran Piano Tutorial
In this tutorial, I am going to take you through my usual three step pop piano arrangement protocol.
Step #1 is to learn the chords, so you can sing and simply play the chords.
Step #2 is to figure out the “hook” and the groove.
Step #3 is to put it all together into an arrangement.
Ready? Let’s go!
Step #1 Learn the chords of Bad Habits:


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Step #2: Figure out the hook of Bad Habits
The “hook” of this song shows up over and over in this song, played by either guitar or synth.

Step #3: Add the bass line to the hook of Bad Habits

Practice this a a bunch to get it secure in your hands.
Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran Chord Voicing Option
You are welcome to play the chords in root position for the whole song if that works best for you. If you want to kick it up a notch, try these voicings and rhythm pattern.

Step #3: Bad Habits Reggae Groove

Step #4: Tricky Advanced Piano Groove Thing

Step #5: Put it all together
Take your time and make sure that you are keeping solid time. Use the metronome!!

Download the Ed Sheeran Bad Habits tutorial printable HERE.

Want to learn great piano arrangements to a ton of songs?
In this course, you'll have access to dozens of song tutorials in different styles and accompaniments, from jazz to pop to holiday songs.
Expand your repertoire, work on your new skills and get more confident on the piano!
Learning a wide range of songs is the best way to become a truly versatile musician. In Let's Learn Songs, you will have access to songs from a myriad of styles, from jazz to pop, from rock to holiday classics.