Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Bang Bang on piano

By Cheetah

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Bang Bang in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Am – Am – G – C
How it goes
Bang Bang sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; G is G, B and D; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiAmiGVIICIII
- AmA · C · E
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
2
Left hand: Run-up footsteps
How it goes
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: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 150 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: F – G – Am
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm
- FF · A · C

What chords are in Bang Bang?

The loop is Am – Am – G – C (i – VII – III – i) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.

What key is Bang Bang in?

A minor, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Bang Bang?

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 Bang Bang 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.

Can I hear the real melody of Bang Bang?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.