Piano chords · Rock drive
You Can’t Stop The Beat: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Marc Shaiman
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 136 BPM
- 2001
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
You Can’t Stop The Beat written out as piano music: the vi – IV – vi – IV – vi – IV – vi loop in Ab major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays engine 8ths (root bass · 8ths) and the right hand skipping-stone chords.
You Can’t Stop The Beat chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in Ab major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fm | vi | F Ab C |
| 2 | Db | IV | Db F Ab |
| 3 | Fm | vi | F Ab C |
| 4 | Db | IV | Db F Ab |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: engine 8ths (root bass · 8ths) in the left hand and skipping-stone chords in the right, over the Fm – Fm – Db – Db – Fm – Fm – Db chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
To see the real melody written out, play “The part you know”: the sheet music changes to it.
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Questions about You Can’t Stop The Beat
Does the sheet music for You Can’t Stop The Beat have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
What chords are in You Can’t Stop The Beat?
The loop is Fm – Fm – Db – Db – Fm – Fm – Db (vi – IV – vi – IV – vi – IV – vi) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is You Can’t Stop The Beat in?
Ab major, at about 136 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in You Can’t Stop The Beat?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is You Can’t Stop The Beat easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of You Can’t Stop The Beat?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.