Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Poker Face on piano
By Glee Cast
- B major
- 4/4
- 72 BPM
- 2008
- Medium
Learn Poker Face in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: B – D#m – D#dim – G
Poker Face sits in B major: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: B is B, D# and F#; D#m is D#, F# and A#; D#dim is D#, F# and A; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BID#miiiD#dimiii°GbVI- BB · D# · F#
- D#mD# · F# · A#
- D#dimD# · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Island pulse
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 72 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: E – F# – B
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EF#B- EE · G# · B
- F#F# · A# · C#
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Questions about Poker Face
What chords are in Poker Face?
The loop is B – D#m – D#dim – G (I – iii – iiio – bVI) in B major, and the song ends on E – F# – B.
What key is Poker Face in?
B major, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Poker Face?
Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Poker Face 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.