Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Houston on piano
Written by Lee Hazlewood
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- 1965
- Medium
Learn Houston in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Eb – Bb – Eb
Houston sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIEbIVBbIEbIV- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Candle flicker
Two low chord notes flicker back and forth, warm like candlelight. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Bb – F – Bb
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbFBb- FF · A · C
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Questions about Houston
What chords are in Houston?
The loop is Bb – Eb – Bb – Eb (I – IV – I – IV) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – F – Bb.
What key is Houston in?
Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Houston?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Houston 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.