Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Ghostbusters on piano
Written by Ray Parker Jr.
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 116 BPM
- 1984
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Ghostbusters in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Ab – Eb – Bb
How it goes
Ghostbusters sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIAbbVIIEbIVBbI- BbBb · D · F
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Hurrying footsteps
How it goes
Calm steps in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 642 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Springy chords
How it goes
A quick double skip at the start, then steady chords to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 116 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: Ab – Eb – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are bVII – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbEbBb
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Questions about Ghostbusters
What chords are in Ghostbusters?
The loop is Bb – Ab – Eb – Bb (I5 – bVII – IV – I5) in Bb major, and the song ends on Ab – Eb – Bb.
What key is Ghostbusters in?
Bb major, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Ghostbusters?
Hurrying footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ghostbusters 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.