Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Cocaine on piano
By Eric Clapton
- E major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1975
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Cocaine in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – D – E – D
How it goes
Cocaine sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIDbVIIEIDbVII- EE · G# · B
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
How it goes
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: Gear-shift chords
How it goes
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 100 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: A – B – E
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
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Questions about Cocaine
What chords are in Cocaine?
The loop is E – D – E – D (I5 – bVII5 – I5 – bVII5) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Cocaine in?
E major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Cocaine?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Cocaine 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.