How to Play Inteha Ho Gayi Intezaar Ki on Piano (Kishore Kumar Classic)

Inteha Ho Gayi Intezaar Ki is played in E minor using two grooves: a swingy root–chord–fifth–chord pattern with a staccato right hand for the verses, and a disco groove with left-hand root octaves and right-hand chords on the upbeats over E minor, A minor, F# major and B7.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Beginner · 12 min

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This lesson from Jason Zac at Nathaniel School of Music shows you how to play the Sharaabi classic Inteha Ho Gayi Intezaar Ki, sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. It suits beginner to intermediate pianists who want a fun Bollywood song that also teaches two very useful accompaniment grooves: a bluesy, swingy pattern and a funk-disco pattern.

The song sits in E minor, and E minor is the most important chord in it. It falls roughly into three sections, with several instrumental parts (trumpet and orchestral lines) in between.

Groove 1: the swingy verse pattern

For the first verse and main hook, the left hand and right hand take turns:

1. Left hand plays the root of the chord (E for E minor).
2. Right hand plays the chord (E G B).
3. Left hand plays the fifth (B).
4. Right hand plays the chord again.

So the pattern is root, chord, fifth, chord, repeating. Keep the left-hand notes long and make the right hand short and bouncy, or staccato, as if you are bouncing off the keys. If the right hand is held down lazily, the song takes on a completely different feel. This simple pattern is a very good starting rhythm if you are new to the piano. More experienced players can try a busier variation in the left hand, but the root-and-fifth idea stays the same.

Verse 1 chords

The main hook stays on E minor for a long stretch. When it reaches the turnaround, it shifts to A minor, holds it for a couple of bars, then moves to a B chord briefly before returning to E minor. Keep the same groove throughout.

Verse 2 chords

Verse two is easy and uses the same rhythm. The chords move through A minor, C major and D major (staying on D for a while) before coming back to E minor, and then the section repeats. At the end it lands on A minor. Here you do not need the groove: simply hold the chords and stop, then go back to the verse.

Groove 2: the funk-disco section

In the female verse the whole groove changes to a dancey disco feel. Two things create it:

• Left hand: play the root of each chord as an octave.
• Right hand: play the chord on the upbeats, the ands: one-and, two-and, three-and, four-and.

The chords for this section are E minor, A minor, F# major (F# A# C#) and B major (B D# F#). At the B chord you can add the seventh to make B7 (B D# F# A), a dominant seventh. This makes the pull back to E minor much stronger and gives the section a cooler sound.

After this, the same chords return but change more quickly. The section then reaches a turnaround on C, and the song fades out without going back to the original groove.

How to practise

• Learn the swingy pattern on E minor alone until the staccato right hand feels natural.
• Add the chord changes for verse 1 and verse 2, keeping the groove steady.
• Practise the disco groove slowly, counting the ands aloud so the right hand stays off the beat.
• Try swapping in B7 for B major and listen to the difference.

Once you are comfortable, use the two grooves interchangeably, and try them in other songs too, such as reggae, funk or disco tunes. The aim is to take a new concept from every song you learn rather than just copying it.

Questions about this lesson

What key is Inteha Ho Gayi Intezaar Ki in on piano?

The song is taught in E minor, and E minor is the central chord it keeps returning to.

What rhythm should a beginner use for this song?

Use a root, chord, fifth, chord pattern: the left hand plays the root and fifth while the right hand plays short, staccato chords in between.

How do you get the disco feel in the later section?

Play the root of each chord as an octave in the left hand and place the right-hand chords on the upbeats, the ands between each beat.

Why play B7 instead of B major?

Adding the seventh (A) turns B major into the dominant seventh B7, which pulls more strongly back to E minor and sounds cooler.

Practise it

• The Dominant SeventhStudy dominant-seventh harmony through musical examples.
• Swing GardenWork with straight and swung rhythm in an interactive teaching workspace.
• Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
• All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.

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