Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Monkey Man on piano
Artist unknown
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 126 BPM
- I–ii–V–I loop
- Medium
Learn Monkey Man in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Cm – F – Bb
Monkey Man sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbICmiiFVBbI- BbBb · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
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: Running-late chords
Misses beat 1, then hurries in with busy chords around the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 126 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: Cm – F – Bb
The last chords are ii – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CmFBb
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Questions about Monkey Man
What chords are in Monkey Man?
The loop is Bb – Cm – F – Bb (I – ii – V – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Cm – F – Bb.
What key is Monkey Man in?
Bb major, at about 126 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Monkey Man?
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 Monkey Man 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.