Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Cool Jerk on piano
By The Capitols
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- Medium
Learn Cool Jerk in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb7 – Bbm – Ab – Eb7
Cool Jerk sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db; Bbm is Bb, Db and F; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Eb7I7BbmvAbIVEb7I7- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- BbmBb · Db · F
- AbAb · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Push and land
A push just before beat 3, then two calm landings. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Cool Jerk
What chords are in Cool Jerk?
The loop is Eb7 – Bbm – Ab – Eb7 (I7 – v – IV – I7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Cool Jerk in?
Eb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Cool Jerk?
Push and land: root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Cool Jerk 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.