Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play You Keep Me Hangin’ On on piano
By Glee Cast
- A minor
- 4/4
- 125 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn You Keep Me Hangin’ On in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – G – G – F – Am
How it goes
You Keep Me Hangin’ On sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: A is A, C# and E; G is G, B and D; F is F, A and C; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIGVIIGVIIFVIAmi- AA · C# · E
- GG · B · D
- FF · A · C
- AmA · C · E
- 2
Left hand: Doorbell ding-dong
How it goes
Two high, two low, in a lazy push rhythm: ding-ding, dong-dong. Musicians call it broken chord 8-8-5-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 472 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
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 125 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: F – G – Am
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm
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Questions about You Keep Me Hangin’ On
What chords are in You Keep Me Hangin’ On?
The loop is A – G – G – F – Am (I – VII – VI – i – I) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is You Keep Me Hangin’ On in?
A minor, at about 125 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in You Keep Me Hangin’ On?
Doorbell ding-dong: broken chord 8-8-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is You Keep Me Hangin’ On easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of You Keep Me Hangin’ On?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.