Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play Cocktails For Two on piano

By Spike Jones & His City Slickers

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Cocktails For Two in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G – F# – G – F# – G – D7 – G7
How it goes
Cocktails For Two sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: G is G, B and D; F# is F#, A# and C#; D7 is D, F#, A and C; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GVF##IVGVF##IVGVD7II7G7V7
- GG · B · D
- F#F# · A# · C#
- D7D · F# · A · C
- G7G · B · D · F
2
Left hand: Boogie walker
How it goes
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
Boogie walkerBoogie & shuffle · Blues and boogie-woogieLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Heartbeat chords
How it goes
Long, short, long: chords on the pop heartbeat, then a rest. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Heartbeat chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 150 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: C – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CGC
- CC · E · G

What chords are in Cocktails For Two?

The loop is G – F# – G – F# – G – D7 – G7 (V – #IV – V – #IV – V – II7 – V7) in C major, and the song ends on C – G – C.

What key is Cocktails For Two in?

C major, at about 150 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Cocktails For Two?

Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Cocktails For Two easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Cocktails For Two?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.