Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Popcorn on piano
By Hot Butter
- D major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- vi–V–IV–vi loop
- 1969
- Medium
Learn Popcorn in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bm – A – G – Bm
Popcorn sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; A is A, C# and E; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmviAVGIVBmvi- BmB · D · F#
- AA · C# · E
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Dewdrop twinkle
Two low, close notes twinkling up and back like morning dew. 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: G – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Popcorn
What chords are in Popcorn?
The loop is Bm – A – G – Bm (vi – V – IV – vi) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Popcorn in?
D major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Popcorn?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Popcorn 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.