Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Right Hand Man on piano
By Wayne Kirkpatrick
- Db major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 2015
- Medium
Learn Right Hand Man in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Bb7 – Ebm – Gbsus4
Right Hand Man sits in Db major: Db is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; Ebm is Eb, Gb and Bb; Gbsus4 is Gb, Cb and Db. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbIBb7VI7EbmiiGbsus4IVsus4- DbDb · F · Ab
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- EbmEb · Gb · Bb
- Gbsus4Gb · Cb · Db
- 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 90 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: Gb – Ab – Db
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbAbDb- GbGb · Bb · Db
- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about Right Hand Man
What chords are in Right Hand Man?
The loop is Db – Bb7 – Ebm – Gbsus4 (I – VI7 – ii – IVsus) in Db major, and the song ends on Gb – Ab – Db.
What key is Right Hand Man in?
Db major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Right Hand Man?
Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Right Hand Man 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.