Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play I Could Have Danced All Night on piano

By Alan Jay Lerner

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn I Could Have Danced All Night in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bb – Dm – Bb – Dm – Gm7 – Gm7
I Could Have Danced All Night sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Dm is D, F and A; Gm7 is G, Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIDmiiiBbIDmiiiGm7vi7Gm7vi7
- BbBb · D · F
- DmD · F · A
- Gm7G · Bb · D · F
2
Left hand: Walking roots
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Walking rootsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Bouncy bells
A high bell note, then chords bouncing on every “and”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Bouncy bellsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 120 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: Eb – F – Bb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C

What chords are in I Could Have Danced All Night?

The loop is Bb – Dm – Bb – Dm – Gm7 – Gm7 (I – iii – I – iii – vi7 – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is I Could Have Danced All Night in?

Bb major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in I Could Have Danced All Night?

Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I Could Have Danced All Night easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of I Could Have Danced All Night?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 6 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.