Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play The Candy Man on piano
Written by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 138 BPM
- 1970
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Candy Man in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Cm – F7 – Fm
How it goes
The Candy Man sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Cm is C, Eb and G; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbICmviF7II7Fmii- EbEb · G · Bb
- CmC · Eb · G
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- FmF · Ab · C
- 2
Left hand: Velvet jazz
How it goes
Two soft notes on each beat: the cozy colour of old jazz ballads. Musicians call it lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3) (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Tap-and-nudge
How it goes
Waits a beat, taps the root five times, then nudges one step up. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 138 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
Ending: Eb – Ab – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbAbEb- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about The Candy Man
What chords are in The Candy Man?
The loop is Eb – Cm – F7 – Fm (I – vi – II7 – ii) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Ab – Eb.
What key is The Candy Man in?
Eb major, at about 138 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Candy Man?
Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Candy Man 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.