Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play Black Coffee on piano
Artist unknown
- C major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1948
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Black Coffee in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C7 – Db7 – C7 – Db7
How it goes
Black Coffee sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C7 is C, E, G and Bb; Db7 is Db, F, Ab and Cb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C7I7Db7bII7C7I7Db7bII7- C7C · E · G · Bb
- Db7Db · F · Ab · Cb
- 2
Left hand: Boogie walker
How it goes
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
How it goes
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
Play next
Questions about Black Coffee
What chords are in Black Coffee?
The loop is C7 – Db7 – C7 – Db7 (I7 – bII7 – I7 – bII7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Black Coffee in?
C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Black Coffee?
Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Black Coffee 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 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.