Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Uptown Girl on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Uptown Girl in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: E – F#m7 – E – A
How it goes
Uptown Girl sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; F#m7 is F#, A, C# and E; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIF#m7ii7EIAIV
- EE · G# · B
- F#m7F# · A · C# · E
- AA · C# · E
57 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Groovy roots
How it goes
Notes jump around the “ands”, giving the bass a funky bounce. Musicians call it root bass · syncopated 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 363 songs of the library.
Groovy rootsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Pausing chords
How it goes
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pausing chordsBlock chords · ClassicalRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 144 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: A – B – E
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE
- BB · D# · F#

What chords are in Uptown Girl?

The loop is E – F#m7 – E – A (I – ii7 – I – IV) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.

What key is Uptown Girl in?

E major, at about 144 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Uptown Girl?

Groovy roots: root bass · syncopated 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Uptown Girl 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 Girl?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.