Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Uptown Funk on piano
By Mark Ronson
- D minor
- 4/4
- 116 BPM
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Uptown Funk in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G7 – G7 – Dm7 – Dm7
Uptown Funk sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; Dm7 is D, F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7IV7G7IV7Dm7i7Dm7i7- G7G · B · D · F
- Dm7D · F · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Run-up footsteps
Four steady steps plus a quick extra one that leads into the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 581 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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 – C – Dm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
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Questions about Uptown Funk
What chords are in Uptown Funk?
The loop is G7 – G7 – Dm7 – Dm7 (IV7 – i7 – IV7 – i7) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Uptown Funk in?
D minor, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Uptown Funk?
Run-up footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Uptown Funk 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.
Can I hear the real melody of Uptown Funk?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.