Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Don’t Stop The Music on piano
By Rihanna
- F# minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Don’t Stop The Music in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F#m – A – C#m – D
How it goes
Don’t Stop The Music sits in F# minor: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F#m is F#, A and C#; A is A, C# and E; C#m is C#, E and G#; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F#miAIIIC#mvDVI- F#mF# · A · C#
- AA · C# · E
- C#mC# · E · G#
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Island pulse
How it goes
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Dance-floor chords
How it goes
Off-centre chords keep landing between the beats: a dance-floor groove. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: D – E – F#m
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEF#m- EE · G# · B
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Questions about Don’t Stop The Music
What chords are in Don’t Stop The Music?
The loop is F#m – A – C#m – D (i – bIII – v – bVI) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.
What key is Don’t Stop The Music in?
F# minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Don’t Stop The Music?
Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Don’t Stop The Music easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Don’t Stop The Music?
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.