Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Private Number on piano
Written by Booker T. Jones & William Bell
- E major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1968
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Private Number in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – E – A – F#m
How it goes
Private Number sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; E is E, G# and B; F#m is F#, A and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIVEIAIVF#mii- AA · C# · E
- EE · G# · B
- F#mF# · A · C#
- 2
Left hand: Groovy roots
How it goes
Notes jump around the “ands”, giving the bass a funky bounce. Musicians call it root bass · syncopated 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 363 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Gospel-clap chords
How it goes
Skips beat 1, then soulful chords that bounce off the “ands”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 BPM
How it goes
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: F#m – A – E
How it goes
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
F#mAE
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Questions about Private Number
What chords are in Private Number?
The loop is A – E – A – F#m (IV – I – IV – ii) in E major, and the song ends on F#m – A – E.
What key is Private Number in?
E major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Private Number?
Groovy roots: root bass · syncopated 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Private Number 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.