Chocolate Cake Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Chocolate Cake in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Am – Em – Am – Em
How it goes
Chocolate Cake sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiEmvAmiEmv
- AmA · C · E
- EmE · G · B
28 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Dawdling footsteps
How it goes
Two steps, then a lazy late note after beat 3 that catches up on 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 222 songs of the library.
Dawdling footstepsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Push chords
How it goes
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Push chordsSyncopated chords · RockRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 116 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
- GG · B · D

What chords are in Chocolate Cake?

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

What key is Chocolate Cake in?

A minor, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Chocolate Cake?

Dawdling footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Chocolate Cake 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.