Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Slow Down on piano
Written by Larry Williams
- G major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1957
- Medium
Learn Slow Down in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – G7 – F – G
Slow Down sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; G7 is G, B, D and F; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FbVIIG7I7FbVIIGI- FF · A · C
- G7G · B · D · F
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Double-skip footsteps
Steady steps with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 397 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Slow-down chords
Quick chords rush through the first half, then slow down to land on 4. 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: C – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Slow Down
What chords are in Slow Down?
The loop is F – G7 – F – G (bVII – I7 – bVII – I) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Slow Down in?
G major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Slow Down?
Double-skip footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Slow 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.