Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Jailhouse Rock on piano
- F major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 1957
- Medium
Learn Jailhouse Rock in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Gm7 – Db – C – F – Gm7 – Bb7 – E
Jailhouse Rock sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: F is F, A and C; Gm7 is G, Bb, D and F; Db is Db, F and Ab; C is C, E and G; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; E is E, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIGm7ii7DbbVICVFIGm7ii7Bb7IV7EVII- FF · A · C
- Gm7G · Bb · D · F
- DbDb · F · Ab
- CC · E · G
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- EE · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Lazy footsteps
One long low note, then two calm steps to finish the bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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 – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Jailhouse Rock
What chords are in Jailhouse Rock?
The loop is F – Gm7 – Db – C – F – Gm7 – Bb7 – E (I – ii7 – bVI – V – I – ii7 – IV7 – VII) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Jailhouse Rock in?
F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Jailhouse Rock?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Jailhouse Rock easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Jailhouse Rock?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.