Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Strange Brew on piano
Artist unknown
- A major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I7–IV7–I7–V7 loop
- Medium
Learn Strange Brew in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A7 – D7 – A7 – E7
Strange Brew sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A7 is A, C#, E and G; D7 is D, F#, A and C; E7 is E, G#, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
A7I7D7IV7A7I7E7V7- A7A · C# · E · G
- D7D · F# · A · C
- E7E · G# · B · D
- 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.
- 3
Right hand: Hurrying chords
Calm chords in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: D – E – A
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Strange Brew
What chords are in Strange Brew?
The loop is A7 – D7 – A7 – E7 (I7 – IV7 – I7 – V7) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is Strange Brew in?
A major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Strange Brew?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Strange Brew 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.