Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Sleeping Bag on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn Sleeping Bag in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Cm – Bb – Cm – Bb
Sleeping Bag sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmviBbVCmviBbV
- CmC · Eb · G
- BbBb · D · F
39 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Heartbeat octavesRocking octaves · RockLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Swing push
Three chords tumble out early with a swing, then the bar breathes. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Swing pushSyncopated chords · Blues and boogie-woogieRight handEasy
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: Ab – Bb – Eb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb

What chords are in Sleeping Bag?

The loop is Cm – Bb – Cm – Bb (vi – V – vi – V) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.

What key is Sleeping Bag in?

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

What does the left hand play in Sleeping Bag?

Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Sleeping Bag easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.