Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Papa on piano
- D# minor
- 3/4
- 160 BPM
- 2004
- Medium
Learn Papa in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D# – E# – D# – E#
Papa sits in D# minor: D# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D# is D#, F## and A#; E# is E#, G## and B#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
D#IE#IID#IE#II- D#D# · F## · A#
- E#E# · G## · B#
- 2
Left hand: Lullaby seesaw
A low note, then gentle higher notes between the beats of a waltz. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-5-5 (3/4) (root–fifth bass), a medium pattern heard in 48 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Waltz chords
A chord on each of the three beats: a simple waltz. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: D# – G# – D#
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
D#G#D#- G#G# · B# · D#
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Questions about Papa
What chords are in Papa?
The loop is D# – E# – D# – E# (I5 – II5 – I5 – II5) in D# minor, and the song ends on D# – G# – D#.
What key is Papa in?
D# minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Papa?
Lullaby seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-5-5 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Papa 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.