How to Play Piano Man
Learn the basic chords., Learn the right hand placement., Understand the structure of the song., Get the right feel.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn the basic chords.
While it takes technique and rhythm to play the song the way it is meant to be played, you've got to start by learning the basic chords.There are a few basic chord patterns, the Intro, the verse/chorus, the little riff that he uses to transition between the instrumental parts and singing, and the bridge.
The chords to the Intro are:
D minor 7 D diminished 7 The chords to the verse/chorus are:
C major C diminished/B A minor A minor/B F major D minor/F# G major 7 The chords to the transition riff are:
C major F major C major 7 G major The bridge chords (where he sings "la la la") are:
A minor A minor/G D major/F# F major G major -
Step 2: Learn the right hand placement.
In this song, the chords are mostly played with the right hand while the left hand follows them in a basic bass descending bass accompaniment (marked above with the note after the "/".
Throughout the singing part, play the chord with your right hand and follow along providing bass with your left about an octave down.
The bridge is the same.A big part of the song is the descending bassline, which moves the song forward.
In the verse, for instance, the right hand will basically hand on the C chord position, but the bass will descend from C to B ("Play me a song…").
Listen to the song to get the timing right and practice some to get the right bass notes.
The Intro lick and the riff between the verses is chorded with the left hand and while the right hand plays melodic flourishes on the basic chord. , When you've got the chords down, playing the song itself isn't too complicated.
The song features several short verses of four lines each, and features the distinctive harmonica break between some of them.
Before each chorus ("Sing us a song, you're the piano man…") he plays the bridge chord sequence to build up the dynamics, and after each chorus, he plays the harmonica break and the transition chord sequence.
The most complicated part is that some of the verses involve more 4-line sections than others, and he also varies the pattern some, so it takes some practice to get the whole thing right.
The basic structure of the song is as follows:
Intro riff / Verse / Harmonica Break / Verse / Bridge Chorus / Harmonica Break / Transition Verse / Verse / Bridge / Verse / Harmonica Break / Verse / Piano Solo Chorus / Harmonica Break / Transition Verse / Verse / Bridge Chorus / Harmonica Break / Transition , The song is a bar-room ballad in 3/4, which means it should be played as a wistful waltz.
It should also be played loosely, like a drinking song that might be hammered out on an out-of-tune piano in the corner of a smoky bar.
Practice with a light touch on the keys, listening closely to get the right dynamic shifts that Joel uses in his version.
The verses are basically played straight, without many right-hand frills, following the descending bassline and the right-hand chords, while the Intro fill, which repeats periodically throughout the song, is more dynamic.
Listen to the song repeatedly to get a sense of the nuances.
Even sheet music can't quite capture the feel of the song and the little licks Joel throws in to improvise.
The feeling of the song is more important than getting all the notes right. -
Step 3: Understand the structure of the song.
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Step 4: Get the right feel.
Detailed Guide
While it takes technique and rhythm to play the song the way it is meant to be played, you've got to start by learning the basic chords.There are a few basic chord patterns, the Intro, the verse/chorus, the little riff that he uses to transition between the instrumental parts and singing, and the bridge.
The chords to the Intro are:
D minor 7 D diminished 7 The chords to the verse/chorus are:
C major C diminished/B A minor A minor/B F major D minor/F# G major 7 The chords to the transition riff are:
C major F major C major 7 G major The bridge chords (where he sings "la la la") are:
A minor A minor/G D major/F# F major G major
In this song, the chords are mostly played with the right hand while the left hand follows them in a basic bass descending bass accompaniment (marked above with the note after the "/".
Throughout the singing part, play the chord with your right hand and follow along providing bass with your left about an octave down.
The bridge is the same.A big part of the song is the descending bassline, which moves the song forward.
In the verse, for instance, the right hand will basically hand on the C chord position, but the bass will descend from C to B ("Play me a song…").
Listen to the song to get the timing right and practice some to get the right bass notes.
The Intro lick and the riff between the verses is chorded with the left hand and while the right hand plays melodic flourishes on the basic chord. , When you've got the chords down, playing the song itself isn't too complicated.
The song features several short verses of four lines each, and features the distinctive harmonica break between some of them.
Before each chorus ("Sing us a song, you're the piano man…") he plays the bridge chord sequence to build up the dynamics, and after each chorus, he plays the harmonica break and the transition chord sequence.
The most complicated part is that some of the verses involve more 4-line sections than others, and he also varies the pattern some, so it takes some practice to get the whole thing right.
The basic structure of the song is as follows:
Intro riff / Verse / Harmonica Break / Verse / Bridge Chorus / Harmonica Break / Transition Verse / Verse / Bridge / Verse / Harmonica Break / Verse / Piano Solo Chorus / Harmonica Break / Transition Verse / Verse / Bridge Chorus / Harmonica Break / Transition , The song is a bar-room ballad in 3/4, which means it should be played as a wistful waltz.
It should also be played loosely, like a drinking song that might be hammered out on an out-of-tune piano in the corner of a smoky bar.
Practice with a light touch on the keys, listening closely to get the right dynamic shifts that Joel uses in his version.
The verses are basically played straight, without many right-hand frills, following the descending bassline and the right-hand chords, while the Intro fill, which repeats periodically throughout the song, is more dynamic.
Listen to the song repeatedly to get a sense of the nuances.
Even sheet music can't quite capture the feel of the song and the little licks Joel throws in to improvise.
The feeling of the song is more important than getting all the notes right.
About the Author
Janet Gray
Enthusiastic about teaching DIY projects techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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