Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play The Right Stuff on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn The Right Stuff in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Ab – Bb – Ab – Bb
The Right Stuff sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbbVIIBbIAbbVIIBbI
- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
30 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Hurry-and-wait pulse
Three quick notes rush out early, then the bass waits for the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 336 songs of the library.
Hurry-and-wait pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Soft chords
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Soft chordsBlock chords · BalladRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 116 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: Bb – Ab – Bb
The last chords are I – bVII – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbAbBb

What chords are in The Right Stuff?

The loop is Ab – Bb – Ab – Bb (bVII – I – bVII – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – Ab – Bb.

What key is The Right Stuff in?

Bb major, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Right Stuff?

Hurry-and-wait pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Right Stuff 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.