Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play The Motown Song on piano
Written by Larry John McNally
- A major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Motown Song in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bm – A – F#m – E
How it goes
The Motown Song sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; A is A, C# and E; F#m is F#, A and C#; E is E, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmiiAIF#mviEV- BmB · D · F#
- AA · C# · E
- F#mF# · A · C#
- EE · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Freeze-tag chords
How it goes
Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: D – E – A
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA- DD · F# · A
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Questions about The Motown Song
What chords are in The Motown Song?
The loop is Bm – A – F#m – E (ii – I – vi – V) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is The Motown Song in?
A major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Motown Song?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Motown Song 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.