Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Penny Arcade on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Penny Arcade in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – F – G – C
Penny Arcade sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIFIVGVCI
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
215 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Upside-down pulse
Every note lands between the beats, so it bounces like reggae. Musicians call it root bass · offbeats (&s) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 176 songs of the library.
Upside-down pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Jump-in chords
Jumps in just after beat 1, pumps through, and stops before the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Jump-in chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 116 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: C – G – C
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CGC

What chords are in Penny Arcade?

The loop is C – F – G – C (I – IV – V – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – G – C.

What key is Penny Arcade in?

C major, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Penny Arcade?

Upside-down pulse: root bass · offbeats (&s), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Penny Arcade 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.