Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play Hold You Down on piano
Written by Makeba Riddick, Cory Rooney & others
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 2005
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Hold You Down in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – F – Gm – Cm
How it goes
Hold You Down sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; F is F, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIVFVGmviCmii- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Jazz walk
How it goes
One note per beat, strolling like a jazz bassist. Musicians call it walking bass (walking bass), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Running-late chords
How it goes
Misses beat 1, then hurries in with busy chords around the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Eb – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Hold You Down
What chords are in Hold You Down?
The loop is Eb – F – Gm – Cm (IV – V – vi – ii) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is Hold You Down in?
Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Hold You Down?
Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hold You Down 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.