Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play The Riddle on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn The Riddle in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: Bb – Bbsus4 – Bb – Bbsus4
How it goes
The Riddle sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Bbsus4 is Bb, Eb and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIBbsus4Isus4BbIBbsus4Isus4
- BbBb · D · F
- Bbsus4Bb · Eb · F
83 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Skipping-stone chords
How it goes
One chord, then two bounces on the “ands”, like a stone on water. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Skipping-stone chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 120 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: Bb – Bbsus4 – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are I – Isus – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbBbsus4Bb

What chords are in The Riddle?

The loop is Bb – Bbsus4 – Bb – Bbsus4 (I – Isus – I – Isus) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – Bbsus4 – Bb.

What key is The Riddle in?

Bb major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Riddle?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Riddle 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.