Mannix Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Mannix in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: F – Cm – F – Cm
Mannix sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FICmvFICmv
- FF · A · C
- CmC · Eb · G
28 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Spinning-top pulse
Six even low notes in a three-beat bar, spinning round and round. Musicians call it root bass · 3/4 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 87 songs of the library.
Spinning-top pulseRoot bass rhythm · WaltzLeft handMedium
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
Both hands at 160 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: 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

What chords are in Mannix?

The loop is F – Cm – F – Cm (I – v – I – v) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Mannix in?

F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in Mannix?

Spinning-top pulse: root bass · 3/4 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Mannix 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.