Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play MacArthur Park on piano
By Donna Summer
- D minor
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- 1968
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn MacArthur Park in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Bb – Ab – Bb – Gm – C# – Eb
How it goes
MacArthur Park sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Bb is Bb, D and F; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; C# is C#, E# and G#; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmivBbVIAb#IVBbVIGmivC#VIIEbbII- GmG · Bb · D
- BbBb · D · F
- AbAb · C · Eb
- C#C# · E# · G#
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 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: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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: Bb – C – Dm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
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Questions about MacArthur Park
What chords are in MacArthur Park?
The loop is Gm – Bb – Ab – Bb – Gm – C# – Eb (iv – VI – #IV – VI – iv – VII – bII) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is MacArthur Park in?
D minor, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in MacArthur Park?
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 MacArthur Park 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 MacArthur Park?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.