Another Love by Tom Odell Piano Tutorial

📊 Level: Intermediate

This score starts simply, then grows into thicker chord writing and wider bass shapes. In bars 1-8, the left hand cycles through E, G, C, and B support patterns while the right hand answers with stacked chords and short melodic fragments. From about bars 64-73 onward, both hands get denser and need more control than the intro suggests.

✋ Left hand

The left hand is the anchor. Early on it rolls through held shapes like E-B-E, G-D-G, and C-based positions, often repeating the same support notes across the bar. Later, especially in bars 64-73 and 96-113, it drops into low B and C octave-style shapes that must stay steady while the right hand thickens.

🤚 Right hand

The right hand mixes chord hits and melody from the start. Bars 24-25 are a good example: a D-F# shape opens into G and C colors, then bars 47-49 jump to fuller high voicings like B-D-G-B and C-E-G-C. Keep the top note singing and avoid squeezing the middle notes.

🔎 Be aware of

The tempo shifts between 120 and 110, so the slower sections need a little space.

🎯 Biggest challenge

Keeping the right-hand chords full and emotional without rushing the left-hand pulse.

⚡ How to practice it

1. Learn the left-hand progression for bars 1-8 by shape.
2. Block the right-hand chords before playing them in rhythm.
3. Isolate bars 64-73 because the texture thickens there.
4. In the big chorus bars, aim your ear at the top note only.

Another Love was Tom Odell's debut single, first released in 2012 and later included on his debut album Long Way Down. It introduced the piano-led style that became central to his early work: direct, emotional songwriting carried by a voice that sounds strained in exactly the right places. For many listeners, this is still the song most closely associated with him.

The song stands out because it builds hurt into the arrangement instead of just stating it in the lyric. The verses feel exposed and conversational, then the chorus opens into something heavier and more desperate. That rise and fall is what made the song travel so widely. It feels intimate, but it also has enough lift to connect with people far beyond the singer-songwriter lane it came from.

It is also a natural fit for piano tutorial form. The chord progression is clear, the melody is easy to hear, and the emotional shape depends on dynamics more than on flashy technique. For a pianist, the real challenge is pacing the build: keeping the quieter sections honest, then letting the chorus expand without becoming heavy-handed.