Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Respect on piano
Written by Otis Redding
- C major
- 4/4
- 118 BPM
- 1965
- Medium
Learn Respect in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G7 – F7 – G7 – F7
Respect sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; F7 is F, A, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7V7F7IV7G7V7F7IV7- G7G · B · D · F
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- 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: 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 118 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: F – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Respect
What chords are in Respect?
The loop is G7 – F7 – G7 – F7 (V7 – IV7 – V7 – IV7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Respect in?
C major, at about 118 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Respect?
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 Respect 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.