Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Lush Life on piano
- Db major
- 4/4
- 68 BPM
- 1949
- Medium
Learn Lush Life in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Cb7 – Db – Cb7
Lush Life sits in Db major: Db is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Cb7 is Cb, Eb, Gb and Bbb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbICb7bVII7DbICb7bVII7- DbDb · F · Ab
- Cb7Cb · Eb · Gb · Bbb
- 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
Right hand: Bouncy bells
A high bell note, then chords bouncing on every “and”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 68 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: Gb – Ab – Db
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbAbDb- GbGb · Bb · Db
- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about Lush Life
What chords are in Lush Life?
The loop is Db – Cb7 – Db – Cb7 (I – bVII7 – I – bVII7) in Db major, and the song ends on Gb – Ab – Db.
What key is Lush Life in?
Db major, at about 68 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Lush Life?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Lush Life 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.