Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play Spanish Harlem on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Spanish Harlem in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: A – D – A – D
Spanish Harlem sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIDIVAIDIV
- AA · C# · E
- DD · F# · A
782 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Boogie walker
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
Boogie walkerBoogie & shuffle · Blues and boogie-woogieLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Steady chords
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Steady chordsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 116 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: A – D – A
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ADA

What chords are in Spanish Harlem?

The loop is A – D – A – D (I – IV – I – IV) in A major, and the song ends on A – D – A.

What key is Spanish Harlem in?

A major, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Spanish Harlem?

Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Spanish Harlem 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.