Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play How Do You Keep The Music Playing? on piano
By James Ingram
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- ii–V7–I–vi loop
- 1982
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn How Do You Keep The Music Playing? in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – F7 – Bb – Gm
How it goes
How Do You Keep The Music Playing? sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Gm is G, Bb and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiiF7V7BbIGmvi- CmC · Eb · G
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- GmG · Bb · D
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
How it goes
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
How it goes
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. 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: Bb – Eb – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbEbBb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about How Do You Keep The Music Playing?
What chords are in How Do You Keep The Music Playing??
The loop is Cm – F7 – Bb – Gm (ii – V7 – I – vi) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – Eb – Bb.
What key is How Do You Keep The Music Playing? in?
Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in How Do You Keep The Music Playing??
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is How Do You Keep The Music Playing? 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.