Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Baby Elephant Walk on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Baby Elephant Walk in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bb – F – C – Bb
Baby Elephant Walk sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIVFICVBbIV
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
87 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Power fifths
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Power fifthsLeft-hand chords · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Late-hop chords
Steady chords with one quick extra hop after beat 3. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Late-hop chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 110 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: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF

What chords are in Baby Elephant Walk?

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

What key is Baby Elephant Walk in?

F major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Baby Elephant Walk?

Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Baby Elephant Walk 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 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.