Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play The Chokin' Kind on piano
By Joe Simon
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–ii–IV–V loop
- 1967
- Easy
Learn The Chokin' Kind in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Bbm – Db – Eb
The Chokin' Kind sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Bbm is Bb, Db and F; Db is Db, F and Ab; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIBbmiiDbIVEbV- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbmBb · Db · F
- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 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: Hopscotch bells
A high bell note, a chord, a skipped beat, and one more chord. 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: Db – Eb – Ab
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb
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Questions about The Chokin' Kind
What chords are in The Chokin' Kind?
The loop is Ab – Bbm – Db – Eb (I – ii – IV – V) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is The Chokin' Kind in?
Ab major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Chokin' Kind?
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 The Chokin' Kind easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.