Other arrangements of Livin' Thing
Pick a learning view.
(C)Sail in’ a way on the crest of a wave, it’s like (Am)mag ic.
Oh, (Ab)roll in’ and rid in’ and slip pin’ and slid in’, it’s (Fm)mag ic.
And (Em)you
and your sweet de sire,
You took (Em)me,
oh,
high er and high er, ba by.
It’s a liv in’ thing!
It’s a ter ri ble (G)thing to (C)lose.
It’s a giv en thing,
what a ter ri ble (G)thing to (C)lose.
(C)Mak in’ be lieve this is what you con ceived from your (Am)worst
day.
Oh, (Ab)mov ing in line, then you look back in time to the (Fm)first
day.
And (Em)you
and your sweet de sire,
You took (Em)me,
oh,
high er and high er, ba by.
It’s a liv in’ thing!
It’s a ter ri ble (G)thing to (C)lose.
It’s a giv en thing,
what a ter ri ble (G)thing to (C)lose.
(C)lose.
It’s a liv in’ thing!
It’s a ter ri ble (G)thing to (C)lose.
It’s a giv en thing!
What a ter ri ble (G)thing to (C)lose.
It’s a liv
Livin' Thing — Visual Piano Sheet Music
10 people have learned this song
"Livin' Thing" in visual bar notation — see every note as a colored bar on the staff. Easier to read than traditional sheet music. Scrolls automatically as you play. Key of C, 100 BPM.
This arrangement is a great workout for handling chromatic chords outside the home key — you've got thirteen chords here, and several like Ab, Bbm, Fm, and Gaug will pull your hands into unfamiliar shapes amid otherwise comfortable C-major territory.
Your left hand drives an oompah bass pattern throughout, so start by drilling that alone at around 70 BPM until it feels automatic, because you'll need all your mental bandwidth for the right-hand chord changes.
Watch the transitions into and out of those flat-side chords especially — the move from G or Gaug into Ab tends to trip people up, so loop those two-bar passages until the fingering is memorized, not guessed.
Once both hands are solid separately, bring them together still under tempo and only speed up in small increments.
By the end, you'll be genuinely comfortable navigating chromatic harmony, and that's a skill that pays off in dozens of other songs.
Try other practice modes:
About “Livin' Thing”
- Why does "Livin' Thing" show as colored bars instead of notation?
- Bar Notation replaces traditional noteheads with colored horizontal bars on a simplified staff — each bar's vertical position is the pitch and its length is the duration. Much easier to read than classic sheet music while still showing the full arrangement of "Livin' Thing".
- What key is "Livin' Thing" by Electric Light Orchestra played in?
- Livin' Thing is arranged in the key of C on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "Livin' Thing"?
- The arrangement plays at 100 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "Livin' Thing" easy to play on piano?
- This is a medium-difficulty arrangement. Most players can learn it within a few practice sessions using the speed control.
- Can I download sheet music for "Livin' Thing"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "Livin' Thing"?
- "Livin' Thing" was originally performed by Electric Light Orchestra. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What chords are used in "Livin' Thing"?
- This arrangement uses 13 chords: Ab, Am, Bbm, C, D7, Dm, Em, F, +5 more.
- What other songs by Electric Light Orchestra can I play here?
- Try "ALL OVER THE WORLD", "ROCKARIA", "DON'T BRING ME DOWN". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is this real sheet music for "Livin' Thing"?
- It's a simplified visual notation using colored bars instead of traditional notes. Each bar's vertical position shows the pitch and its length shows duration — much easier to read for beginners while still showing the complete arrangement of "Livin' Thing".
- Can I see all the notes in "Livin' Thing"?
- Yes! The Bar Sheet shows every note in the arrangement as a colored bar. The sheet scrolls automatically during playback, or you can scroll manually to study any section. The song is in the key of C at 100 BPM.