Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Moonlight Cocktail on piano
Written by Lucky Roberts
- G major
- 2/2
- 120 BPM
- 1941
- Medium
Learn Moonlight Cocktail in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – D7 – G – B7
Moonlight Cocktail sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D7 is D, F#, A and C; B7 is B, D#, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GID7V7GIB7III7- GG · B · D
- D7D · F# · A · C
- B7B · D# · F# · A
- 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: Push chords
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: A7 – D7 – G
The last chords are II7 – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
A7D7G- A7A · C# · E · G
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Questions about Moonlight Cocktail
What chords are in Moonlight Cocktail?
The loop is G – D7 – G – B7 (I – V7 – I – III7) in G major, and the song ends on A7 – D7 – G.
What key is Moonlight Cocktail in?
G major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Moonlight Cocktail?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Moonlight Cocktail 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.