Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play Unexpected Song on piano
- D major
- 4/4
- 76 BPM
- 1978
- Medium
Learn Unexpected Song in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – Em – A – Bm
Unexpected Song sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B; A is A, C# and E; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIEmiiAVBmvi- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
- AA · C# · E
- BmB · D · F#
- 2
Left hand: Boogie walker
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 76 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: D – Em – D
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEmD
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Questions about Unexpected Song
What chords are in Unexpected Song?
The loop is D – Em – A – Bm (I – ii – V – vi) in D major, and the song ends on D – Em – D.
What key is Unexpected Song in?
D major, at about 76 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Unexpected Song?
Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Unexpected 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.