Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Patches on piano
By Clarence Carter
- C major
- 2/2
- 160 BPM
- V–IV–V–IV loop
- 1969
- Medium
Learn Patches in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – F – G – F
Patches sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GVFIVGVFIV- GG · B · D
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Pausing footsteps
Three even steps, then a quiet beat to breathe. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rooftop rain
A chord, then one high note pattering again and again like rain. 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: Dm – G7 – C
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DmG7C- DmD · F · A
- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Patches
What chords are in Patches?
The loop is G – F – G – F (V – IV – V – IV) in C major, and the song ends on Dm – G7 – C.
What key is Patches in?
C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Patches?
Pausing footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Patches 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.