Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Clumsy on piano
Written by Stacy Ferguson, Bobby Troup & others
- C major
- 4/4
- 93 BPM
- I–ii–I–ii loop
- 1956
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Clumsy in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Dm – C – Dm
How it goes
Clumsy sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIDmiiCIDmii- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Lub-dub chords
How it goes
Two quick chords, a pause, two quick chords: just like a heartbeat. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 93 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: C – Dm – C
How it goes
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDmC
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Questions about Clumsy
What chords are in Clumsy?
The loop is C – Dm – C – Dm (I – ii – I – ii) in C major, and the song ends on C – Dm – C.
What key is Clumsy in?
C major, at about 93 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Clumsy?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Clumsy easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.