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 — Falling Notes Piano Tutorial
10 people have learned this song
Watch "Livin' Thing" by Electric Light Orchestra in falling notes style — like Synthesia. Color-coded notes fall onto the keyboard in real time. Practice left hand, right hand, or both. 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”
- Can I learn "Livin' Thing" with falling notes like Synthesia?
- Yes — Falling Notes mode shows colored note shapes dropping onto a virtual keyboard, the same visual style as Synthesia or piano-tile games. Each note's column matches the piano key you press. Works for "Livin' Thing" with hands-separate practice in C at 100 BPM.
- 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.
- Can I practice left and right hand separately for "Livin' Thing"?
- Yes! Our Top Down mode lets you isolate the left hand (bass clef), right hand (treble clef), or play both together. This makes it easy to master "Livin' Thing" one hand at a time before combining them.
- What is falling notes style for "Livin' Thing"?
- Falling notes (also known as Synthesia or piano waterfall) shows color-coded rectangles falling from the top of the screen onto a virtual keyboard. Each note's position matches the piano key you need to press. "Livin' Thing" is in the key of C at 100 BPM.