Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Dirty Paws on piano
Artist unknown
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 112 BPM
- vi–I–IV–vi loop
- Medium
Learn Dirty Paws in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Eb – Ab – Cm
Dirty Paws sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmviEbIAbIVCmvi- CmC · Eb · G
- EbEb · G · Bb
- AbAb · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 112 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: Cm – Bb – Eb
The last chords are vi – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CmBbEb- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Dirty Paws
What chords are in Dirty Paws?
The loop is Cm – Eb – Ab – Cm (vi – I – IV – vi) in Eb major, and the song ends on Cm – Bb – Eb.
What key is Dirty Paws in?
Eb major, at about 112 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Dirty Paws?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Dirty Paws 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.