Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Santeria on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Santeria in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: A – B – E – B
Santeria sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; B is B, D# and F#; E is E, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIVBVEIBV
- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
- EE · G# · B
31 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Galloping heartbeat
Ta-DUM, ta-DUM: quick pickups into beats 2 and 4, like hooves. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 115 songs of the library.
Galloping heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Offbeat skank
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 89 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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE

What chords are in Santeria?

The loop is A – B – E – B (IV – V – I – V) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.

What key is Santeria in?

E major, at about 89 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Santeria?

Galloping heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Santeria 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.