Nathaniel School of Music

How to Play Kingston Town on Piano (UB40 Reggae Tutorial)

To play UB40's Kingston Town on piano, use a reggae groove in Ab major: the left hand plays the chord root on beat 1 and the fifth on beat 3, while the right hand plays short staccato chords on every 'and'. Then follow the verse chords Ab, Cm, Db, Eb, Db, Eb, Ab, Eb.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Beginner · 11 min

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Key points

This lesson by Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music shows how to play Kingston Town by UB40 on the piano. The whole song sits on a standard reggae groove in Ab major. You learn the groove first, then the chords for each section and finally the catchy hook. It is beginner-friendly, and the groove shape is also useful for non-pianists.

The Reggae Groove Pattern

The pattern alternates between the hands. Count in eighth notes, which split each beat in two: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.

Adding the Ghost Note

Once the basic pattern feels easy, add a ghost note in the left hand. This means counting in sixteenth notes: 1 e and a, 2 e and a, and so on.

The ghost note is the fifth of the chord, played on the e of 2. For Ab, that is Eb. If you are newer to the piano, you can skip it at first.

Notice that the left hand only ever plays the root and the fifth of each chord.

Right-Hand Voicings

In the right hand, use inversions so your hand stays close by and doesn't jump between chords. Jason prefers to voice Ab major as C, Eb, Ab. To make it sound bigger, copy the bottom note to the top: C, Eb, Ab, C.

The Chords, Section by Section

Verse

Line one is: Ab – Cm – Db – Eb – Db – Eb – Ab – Eb. Line two repeats the same chords but ends by staying on Ab.

Pre-Chorus (the Kingston Town Bridge)

The chords move to: Cm – Fm – Gm – Cm – Fm.

Next comes an interesting bass slide. Keep the right hand holding F minor (F, Ab, C) while the left hand walks down F – E – Eb – D. You can play this bass line in octaves.

Then play Bbm – Bb major – Eb major – Eb major, and return to the verse. The change from Bbm to Bb major is a striking moment, because Bb major acts as the V of Eb.

Intro and Bridge (the Hook)

The famous tune follows the singer's vocal line. It is played over Ab – Cm – Db – Eb. It appears in the intro and returns in a later bridge section.

Ending

At the end, the phrase waiting in Kingston town repeats over four chords: Db – Eb – Ab, then a chord on F.

How to Practise

  1. Play only the left hand on beats 1 and 3 (root, then fifth) over Ab major.
  2. Add staccato right-hand chords on every and.
  3. Run through the verse chords slowly, using nearby inversions.
  4. Add the ghost note on the e of 2 once the basic groove is steady.
  5. Learn the pre-chorus and its descending bass, F – E – Eb – D.
  6. For the hook, start with the left-hand pattern alone, then bring in the tune. If both hands together are hard, play just the melody first, or simply hold the chords under it.

If Ab major is awkward for you, you can transpose. Rewrite the scale and the chords in another key, such as A major or D major.

Questions about this lesson

What key is Kingston Town in?

The lesson plays Kingston Town in Ab major. You can transpose it to a key like A or D major by rewriting the scale and the chords.

How does the reggae piano pattern work in Kingston Town?

The right hand plays short, staccato chords on every offbeat 'and' of the eighth-note count. The left hand plays the chord's root on beat 1 and its fifth on beat 3, leaving beat 2 empty.

What is the ghost note in the reggae groove?

It is an extra left-hand note on the fifth of the chord, played on the 'e' of beat 2 when counting sixteenth notes. Beginners can leave it out until the basic pattern is comfortable.

What are the pre-chorus chords of Kingston Town?

The pre-chorus goes Cm, Fm, Gm, Cm, Fm. Then the right hand holds F minor while the bass walks down F, E, Eb, D, followed by Bbm, Bb major and Eb major.

Practise it

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