Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Louie, Louie on piano

By The Kingsmen

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Louie, Louie in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: A – D – Em – D
How it goes
Louie, Louie sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIDIVEmvDIV
- AA · C# · E
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
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.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pony-trot chords
How it goes
Quick trotting chords, then a jump over beat 3 to its “and”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pony-trot chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
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: D – E – A
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA
- EE · G# · B

What chords are in Louie, Louie?

The loop is A – D – Em – D (I – IV – v – IV) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.

What key is Louie, Louie in?

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

What does the left hand play in Louie, Louie?

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 Louie, Louie 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.