Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Un Poco Loco on piano
By Bud Powell
- C major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 1953
- Medium
Learn Un Poco Loco in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Eb – Db – C
Un Poco Loco sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Db is Db, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIEbbIIIDbbIICI- CC · E · G
- EbEb · G · Bb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Open sky
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
- 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.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: F – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
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Questions about Un Poco Loco
What chords are in Un Poco Loco?
The loop is C – Eb – Db – C (I – bIII – bII – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Un Poco Loco in?
C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Un Poco Loco?
Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Un Poco Loco 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.