Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Cinnamon Girl on piano
By Prince
- B minor
- 4/4
- 129 BPM
- 2004
- Medium
Learn Cinnamon Girl in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – G – A – Bm
Cinnamon Girl sits in B minor: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; G is G, B and D; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AVIIGVIAVIIBmi- AA · C# · E
- GG · B · D
- BmB · D · F#
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Knock-and-peek
The same note knocks five times, then peeks one step higher. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 129 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: G – A – Bm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GABm
Play next
Questions about Cinnamon Girl
What chords are in Cinnamon Girl?
The loop is A – G – A – Bm (bVII – bVI – bVII – i) in B minor, and the song ends on G – A – Bm.
What key is Cinnamon Girl in?
B minor, at about 129 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Cinnamon Girl?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Cinnamon Girl 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.