Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Lover Man on piano

By Charlie Parker

  • F major
  • 4/4
  • 90 BPM
  • 1941
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Power fifthsThe right hand sings the tuneChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

Learn Lover Man in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Dm – G7 – Dm – Gm7 – C7 – Gm7 – C7

    Lover Man sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: Dm is D, F and A; G7 is G, B, D and F; Gm7 is G, Bb, D and F; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    DmviG7II7DmviGm7ii7C7V7Gm7ii7C7V7
    • DmD · F · A
    • G7G · B · D · F
    • Gm7G · Bb · D · F
    • C7C · E · G · Bb
  2. 2

    Left hand: Power fifths

    Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: the chords, held

    In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 90 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. 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
    • CC · E · G
    • FF · A · C

Play next

Questions about Lover Man

What chords are in Lover Man?

The loop is Dm – G7 – Dm – Gm7 – C7 – Gm7 – C7 (vi – II7 – vi – ii7 – V7 – ii7 – V7) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Lover Man in?

F major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Lover Man?

Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Lover Man easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Lover Man?

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

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.