Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Splish Splash on piano
By Bobby Darin
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 144 BPM
- 1958
- Medium
Learn Splish Splash in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Eb7 – Bb – C
Splish Splash sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIEb7IV7BbICII- BbBb · D · F
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Cuckoo clock
High, high, a little lower, twice per bar: cuckoo, cuckoo. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 144 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: Bb – Eb7 – Bb
The last chords are I – IV7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbEb7Bb
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Questions about Splish Splash
What chords are in Splish Splash?
The loop is Bb – Eb7 – Bb – C (I – IV7 – I – II) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – Eb7 – Bb.
What key is Splish Splash in?
Bb major, at about 144 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Splish Splash?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Splish Splash 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.