Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Shake You Down on piano
By Gregory Abbott
- D major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- Medium
Learn Shake You Down in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – A – Bm – Em
Shake You Down sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; A is A, C# and E; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiiAVBmviEmii- EmE · G · B
- AA · C# · E
- BmB · D · F#
- 2
Left hand: Sneaky heartbeat
One strong note, then two sneaky ones hiding between the beats. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2& · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 436 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: G – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Shake You Down
What chords are in Shake You Down?
The loop is Em – A – Bm – Em (ii – V – vi – ii) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Shake You Down in?
D major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Shake You Down?
Sneaky heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2& · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Shake You Down 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.