Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play I Wan’na Be Like You on piano
- C minor
- 2/2
- 160 BPM
- 1966
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I Wan’na Be Like You in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – C – F – Bb
How it goes
I Wan’na Be Like You sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CICIFIVBbVII- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Racing heartbeat
How it goes
One calm beat, then non-stop quick notes racing to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 431 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Bossa chords
How it goes
Long-short, long-short, leaning ahead: soft Brazilian chords. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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 – Bb – Cm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm- AbAb · C · Eb
- CmC · Eb · G
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Questions about I Wan’na Be Like You
What chords are in I Wan’na Be Like You?
The loop is C – C – F – Bb (I – IV – VII – I) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is I Wan’na Be Like You in?
C minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in I Wan’na Be Like You?
Racing heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Wan’na Be Like You 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.
Can I hear the real melody of I Wan’na Be Like You?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.