Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Walk On The Wild Side on piano

Written by Lou Reed

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Walk On The Wild Side in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – F – C – F
Walk On The Wild Side sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIFIVCIFIV
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
782 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Stumbling footsteps
Steady steps with one tiny stumble right before beat 3. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 146 songs of the library.
Stumbling footstepsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
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.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 104 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: C – F – C
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CFC

What chords are in Walk On The Wild Side?

The loop is C – F – C – F (I – IV – I – IV) in C major, and the song ends on C – F – C.

What key is Walk On The Wild Side in?

C major, at about 104 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Walk On The Wild Side?

Stumbling footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Walk On The Wild Side 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.