Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

How to play Tango choc (Doudou) on piano

By Astor Piazzolla

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Learn it
Style

Left hand Ragtime bounceRight hand Marching chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn Tango choc (Doudou) in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Dm – A7 – Dm – A7

    How it goes

    Tango choc (Doudou) sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; A7 is A, C#, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    DmiA7V7DmiA7V7
    • DmD · F · A
    • A7A · C# · E · G
    27 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Ragtime bounce

    How it goes

    Quick bass-chord-bass-chord: the bouncy left hand of ragtime. Musicians call it boom-chick (2/4) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 137 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Marching chords

    How it goes

    Two chords per bar, left-right, like a happy little march. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 80 BPM

    How it goes

    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. 5

    Ending: Bb – C – Dm

    How it goes

    The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    BbCDm
    • BbBb · D · F
    • CC · E · G

Play next

Questions about Tango choc (Doudou)

What chords are in Tango choc (Doudou)?

The loop is Dm – A7 – Dm – A7 (i – V7 – i – V7) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.

What key is Tango choc (Doudou) in?

D minor, at about 80 beats a minute in 2/4.

What does the left hand play in Tango choc (Doudou)?

Ragtime bounce: boom-chick (2/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Tango choc (Doudou) 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.