Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Downtown on piano

Written by Tony Hatch

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Downtown in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: E – A – B – E
Downtown sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; A is A, C# and E; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIAIVBVEI
- EE · G# · B
- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
215 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Island pulse
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.
Island pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pony-trot chords
Quick trotting chords, then a jump over beat 3 to its “and”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pony-trot chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 130 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 – A – E
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EAE

What chords are in Downtown?

The loop is E – A – B – E (I – IV – V – I) in E major, and the song ends on E – A – E.

What key is Downtown in?

E major, at about 130 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Downtown?

Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Downtown 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.