Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Right Now on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Right Now in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: Cm – Ab – Eb – Eb
Right Now sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmviAbIVEbIEbI
- CmC · Eb · G
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
121 songs go round the same chords
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.
Island pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
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.
Pumping chordsPumping 8ths · RockRight handMedium
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: Cm – Ab – Eb
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CmAbEb

What chords are in Right Now?

The loop is Cm – Ab – Eb – Eb (vi – IV – I – vi) in Eb major, and the song ends on Cm – Ab – Eb.

What key is Right Now in?

Eb major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Right Now?

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 Now 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.

Can I hear the real melody of Right Now?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.