Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Crocodile Rock on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Crocodile Rock in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Gm – Gm – Gm – Eb
How it goes
Crocodile Rock sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmviGmviGmviEbIV
- GmG · Bb · D
- EbEb · G · Bb
95 songs go round the same chords
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.
Heartbeat octavesRocking octaves · RockLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Moonbeam glimmer
How it goes
The top note dips to a sweet lower note and back, glimmering softly. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Moonbeam glimmerTwo-note ostinato · BalladRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 144 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: Eb – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb
- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F

What chords are in Crocodile Rock?

The loop is Gm – Gm – Gm – Eb (vi – IV – vi – IV) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Crocodile Rock in?

Bb major, at about 144 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Crocodile Rock?

Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Crocodile Rock 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.

Can I hear the real melody of Crocodile Rock?

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

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.