Rock & Roll Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Rock & Roll in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Eb – Bb – F – Bb
How it goes
Rock & Roll sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIVBbIFVBbI
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
66 songs go round the same chords
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.
Groovy rootsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Offbeat skank
How it goes
Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Offbeat skankOffbeat chords · Blues and boogie-woogieRight handEasy
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: Bb – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbFBb

What chords are in Rock & Roll?

The loop is Eb – Bb – F – Bb (IV – I – V – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – F – Bb.

What key is Rock & Roll in?

Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Rock & Roll?

Groovy roots: root bass · syncopated 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Rock & Roll 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.