Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Dancing In The Dark on piano
- B major
- 4/4
- 144 BPM
- 1984
- Medium
Learn Dancing In The Dark in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C#m – E – C#m – B
Dancing In The Dark sits in B major: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C#m is C#, E and G#; E is E, G# and B; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C#miiEIVC#miiBI- C#mC# · E · G#
- EE · G# · B
- BB · D# · F#
- 2
Left hand: Walking roots
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Tap-and-nudge
Waits a beat, taps the root five times, then nudges one step up. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 144 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: E – F# – B
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EF#B- F#F# · A# · C#
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Questions about Dancing In The Dark
What chords are in Dancing In The Dark?
The loop is C#m – E – C#m – B (ii – IV – ii – I) in B major, and the song ends on E – F# – B.
What key is Dancing In The Dark in?
B major, at about 144 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Dancing In The Dark?
Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Dancing In The Dark 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 Dancing In The Dark?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.