Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Kokomo on piano
Written by Mike Love, Terry Melcher & others
- C major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1988
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Kokomo in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Gm – F – Fm
How it goes
Kokomo sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Gm is G, Bb and D; F is F, A and C; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIGmvFIVFmiv- CC · E · G
- GmG · Bb · D
- FF · A · C
- FmF · Ab · C
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
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: Groovy chords
How it goes
Chords jump around the “ands” for a funky, dancing feel. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: Dm – G7 – C
How it goes
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DmG7C- DmD · F · A
- G7G · B · D · F
Play next
Questions about Kokomo
What chords are in Kokomo?
The loop is C – Gm – F – Fm (I – v – IV – iv) in C major, and the song ends on Dm – G7 – C.
What key is Kokomo in?
C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Kokomo?
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 Kokomo 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.