Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Shake It Up on piano
Written by Ric Ocasek
- C major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- I–vi–I–vi loop
- 1981
- Medium
Learn Shake It Up in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Am – C – Am
Shake It Up sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIAmviCIAmvi- CC · E · G
- AmA · C · E
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: 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
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Questions about Shake It Up
What chords are in Shake It Up?
The loop is C – Am – C – Am (I – vi – I – vi) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Shake It Up in?
C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Shake It Up?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Shake It Up 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.