Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play The Last Mall on piano

By Steely Dan

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Banana-peel slipRight hand Pausing chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn The Last Mall in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: C – F – C – F

    The Last Mall sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    CIFIVCIFIV
    • CC · E · G
    • FF · A · C
    782 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Banana-peel slip

    Four steady beats on one note, then a quick slip down into the next bar. Musicians call it broken chord 8-8-8-8-7 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 102 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Pausing chords

    Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 120 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. 5

    Ending: F – G – C

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    FGC
    • GG · B · D

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Questions about The Last Mall

What chords are in The Last Mall?

The loop is C – F – C – F (I – IV – I – IV) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is The Last Mall in?

C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Last Mall?

Banana-peel slip: broken chord 8-8-8-8-7, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Last Mall 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.