Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play The Hop-Clop Goes On on piano

Written by Mel Brooks

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn The Hop-Clop Goes On in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bb – C – Bb – C
The Hop-Clop Goes On sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbICIIBbICII
- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
15 songs go round the same chords
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.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pop stabs
Chord stabs in the 3-3-2 pop rhythm. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pop stabsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
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: Eb – F – Bb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C

What chords are in The Hop-Clop Goes On?

The loop is Bb – C – Bb – C (I – II – I – II) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is The Hop-Clop Goes On in?

Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Hop-Clop Goes On?

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 Hop-Clop Goes On 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.