Piano chords · Old-time stride

How to play Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – F – C – F7 – Bb – F7 – F7
How it goes
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIFIVCIF7IV7BbbVIIF7IV7F7IV7
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
782 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Oom-pah
How it goes
A bass note, then three soft chords: oom, pah, pah, pah. Musicians call it bass + chords (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Oom-pahStride & boom-chick · StrideLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Slow-down chords
How it goes
Quick chords rush through the first half, then slow down to land on 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Slow-down chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 90 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
- GG · B · D

What chords are in Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me?

The loop is C – F – C – F7 – Bb – F7 – F7 (I – IV – I – IV7 – bVII – IV7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me in?

C major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me?

Oom-pah: bass + chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me 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 Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the opening 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.