Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Blue Suede Shoes on piano
- C major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 1955
- Medium
Learn Blue Suede Shoes in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – C – C7 – Bb – D#dim – C7
Blue Suede Shoes sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: C is C, E and G; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; D#dim is D#, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CICIC7I7BbbVIID#dimbiii°C7I7- CC · E · G
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- D#dimD# · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Island pulse
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Gear-shift chords
Quick even chords that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: F – G – C
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
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Questions about Blue Suede Shoes
What chords are in Blue Suede Shoes?
The loop is C – C – C7 – Bb – D#dim – C7 (I – I7 – bVII – biii° – I7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Blue Suede Shoes in?
C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Blue Suede Shoes?
Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Blue Suede Shoes easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Blue Suede Shoes?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.