Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Cleveland Rocks on piano
Written by Ian Hunter
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 130 BPM
- 1979
- Medium
Learn Cleveland Rocks in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Fb – Db – Ab – C
Cleveland Rocks sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Fb is Fb, Ab and Cb; Db is Db, F and Ab; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FbbVIDbIVAbICIII- FbFb · Ab · Cb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- AbAb · C · Eb
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 130 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: Db – Eb – Ab
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Cleveland Rocks
What chords are in Cleveland Rocks?
The loop is Fb – Db – Ab – C (bVI – IV – I – III) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Cleveland Rocks in?
Ab major, at about 130 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Cleveland Rocks?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Cleveland Rocks 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.