Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Beer Barrel Polka on piano

Written by Lew Brown, Wladimir A. Timm & others

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Beer Barrel Polka in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – D#dim – G7 – C
How it goes
Beer Barrel Polka sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; D#dim is D#, F# and A; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CID#dimbiii°G7V7CI
- CC · E · G
- D#dimD# · F# · A
- G7G · B · D · F
2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Hopscotch bells
How it goes
A high bell note, a chord, a skipped beat, and one more chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hopscotch bellsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 160 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: D7 – G7 – C
How it goes
The last chords are II7 – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
D7G7C
- D7D · F# · A · C

What chords are in Beer Barrel Polka?

The loop is C – D#dim – G7 – C (I – biiio – V7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on D7 – G7 – C.

What key is Beer Barrel Polka in?

C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Beer Barrel Polka?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Beer Barrel Polka easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.