Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Cheer Up! on piano
Written by Ian Axel & Chad Vaccarino
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 125 BPM
- 2014
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Cheer Up! in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Ab – Eb – Eb7
How it goes
Cheer Up! sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbIVAbIEbVEb7V7- DbDb · F · Ab
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- 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.
- 3
Right hand: Hand-clap chords
How it goes
Rests on beat 1, then clap-clap on 2 and one more clap on 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 125 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: Fm – Db – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FmDbAb- FmF · Ab · C
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Questions about Cheer Up!
What chords are in Cheer Up!?
The loop is Db – Ab – Eb – Eb7 (IV – I – V – V7) in Ab major, and the song ends on Fm – Db – Ab.
What key is Cheer Up! in?
Ab major, at about 125 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Cheer Up!?
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 Cheer Up! 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.