Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Shut Up And Dance on piano
By Walk The Moon
- C major
- 4/4
- 128 BPM
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Shut Up And Dance in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – C – C – C – Dm7
Shut Up And Dance sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: C is C, E and G; Dm7 is D, F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CICICICIDm7ii7- CC · E · G
- Dm7D · F · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Mouse-run chords
Skips beat 1, scurries through four quick chords, then hides. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 128 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 Shut Up And Dance
What chords are in Shut Up And Dance?
The loop is C – C – C – C – Dm7 (I – ii7 – I – ii7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Shut Up And Dance in?
C major, at about 128 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Shut Up And Dance?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Shut Up And Dance easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Shut Up And Dance?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.