Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Uptown on piano
Written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
- Eb major
- 2/2
- 100 BPM
- 1962
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Uptown in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Eb – G – Eb
How it goes
Uptown sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmviEbIGIIIEbI- CmC · Eb · G
- EbEb · G · Bb
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Push chords
How it goes
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. 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: Eb – Cm – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are I – vi – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbCmEb
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Questions about Uptown
What chords are in Uptown?
The loop is Cm – Eb – G – Eb (vi – I – III – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Cm – Eb.
What key is Uptown in?
Eb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Uptown?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Uptown 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.