Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Africa Unite on piano
By Bob Marley
- E minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1979
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Africa Unite in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – Em – G – D
How it goes
Africa Unite sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DVIIEmiGIIIDVII- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
- GG · B · D
- 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: Late-knock chords
How it goes
One chord, a long wait, then a quick knock-knock at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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 – D – Em
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- CC · E · G
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Questions about Africa Unite
What chords are in Africa Unite?
The loop is D – Em – G – D (bVII – i – bIII – bVII) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Africa Unite in?
E minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Africa Unite?
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 Africa Unite 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.