Amateur Hour Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Amateur Hour in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bb – F – Bb – F
Amateur Hour sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIFVBbIFV
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
144 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Run-up footsteps
Four steady steps plus a quick extra one that leads into the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 581 songs of the library.
Run-up footstepsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pumping chordsPumping 8ths · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 148 BPM
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: Eb – F – Bb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb
- EbEb · G · Bb

What chords are in Amateur Hour?

The loop is Bb – F – Bb – F (I – V – I – V) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Amateur Hour in?

Bb major, at about 148 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Amateur Hour?

Run-up footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Amateur Hour 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.