Stand By Me Piano Tutorial: The Bass Line and Chords in 5 Accompaniment Styles
To play Stand By Me on piano, play the iconic bass riff in your left hand over the chords A, F#m, D and E in A major, using close inversions in your right hand in five styles: block chords, staccato pulse, Clocks-style arpeggios, a flamenco gallop and a melodic counter-line.
Key points
- Stand By Me uses A, F#m, D and E in A major, played with close inversions: A C# E, A C# F#, A D F#, B E G#.
- In the bass riff, the first note of the bar is staccato and the second is held long; count it in eighth notes.
- Sing the bass line and the melody before putting both hands together.
- The five right-hand styles are block chords, staccato pulse, Clocks arpeggios, flamenco gallop and a melodic counter-line.
- Loop difficult patterns slowly over one chord to find where the hands collide.
In this lesson Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music shows you how to play Stand By Me by Ben E. King on piano. Your left hand plays the famous bass riff, which moves through the chord tones. Your right hand plays the chords in five different accompaniment styles. The first three suit beginners. The last two are more intermediate.
The song is a good workout for hand independence. Playing a moving bass line while the other hand plays chords or a melody is one of the harder coordination skills on piano.
The iconic bass line
Count the bass line in eighth notes: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Not every eighth note is played. Each bass note lines up with one of these counts, so counting aloud keeps you steady.
- The first note of the bar is short and staccato, like the double bass on the record. The dot in the notation shows this.
- The second hit in the bar is held longer. Do not cut it short.
Think of it as short hit, long hit, then the rest of the riff. Go slowly until the rhythm feels natural.
The chords and inversions
The song is in A major. The chord sequence is A, A, F#m, F#m, D, E, then back to A to loop. Close inversions keep your right hand moving as little as possible.
- A major: A C# E
- F# minor: A C# F#. Only the top finger moves, from E up to F#.
- D major: A D F#
- E major: B E G#. Slide all your fingers up.
- End on A major as C# E A, then return to A C# E to start the loop again.
Sing before you play
Before you put both hands together, sing the bass line, and sing the melody too, with or without the lyrics. While you practise the right-hand chord changes, imagine or sing the left-hand part. Keeping both the melody and the bass in your ear makes coordination much easier.
The five accompaniment styles
Style 1: Block chords
Hold each chord as a semibreve, one hit per bar. The right hand is easy here, so you can give your attention to the left-hand bass line.
Style 2: Staccato pulse
Play short crotchets on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4). A rock-solid pulse in the right hand supports whatever the left hand is doing. To find where the bass falls on the offbeats, sing the bass line while you play the pulse. Your voice quickly shows you where things go wrong.
Style 3: Clocks arpeggios
This pattern is inspired by Coldplay's Clocks. Use the same inversions, but break them up so that every eighth note is played. Group the notes with accents: count 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2. Konnakol-style syllables can also help you feel the accents.
Style 4: Flamenco gallop
This one is very close to the Clocks arpeggio. The difference is that the first beat becomes sixteenth notes (1 e and a), which gives a galloping feel. If you like, add the octave on top with your little finger for extra flavour.
To practise it, loop the pattern over a single chord such as A major, slowly, with the bass. Find exactly where the two hands collide. Then move on to the other chords. F#m is a little easier.
Style 5: Melodic playing
Here the right hand plays a counter-line that supports the tune, like a horn section or string quartet. Over A, play the root A, then the fifth E, then the inner chord tone C# as a harmonic embellishment. Many of the movements are in thirds, which keeps the line melodic. Learn the first two bars before going on.
How to practise
- Master the bass line alone, counting eighth notes.
- Practise the right-hand inversions while singing or imagining the bass.
- Put the hands together with Style 1, then work through each style in order.
- Slow down and loop any spot where the hands clash.
- Pick two or three styles that are within your reach, then stretch yourself with one that feels slightly too hard.
Questions about this lesson
What chords are used in Stand By Me on piano?
In this lesson the song is in A major and uses A, F#m, D and E. The sequence is A, A, F#m, F#m, D, E, then back to A.
How do I count the Stand By Me bass line?
Count in eighth notes, 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Every bass note falls on one of these counts. The first note is short and staccato, and the second hit is held longer.
How can I get my hands independent for this song?
Start with simple right-hand block chords so you can focus on the bass. Sing the bass line while you play, so you can hear where the offbeats fall. Slow down and loop any spot where the hands clash.
What is the Clocks arpeggio pattern?
It breaks each chord into eighth notes, with accents grouped as 1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2, similar to the right-hand pattern in Coldplay's Clocks.
Practise it
- Pop LessonsPractice companions for Jason Zac’s pop piano lessons: octave fillers, chord changes and inversions in every key.
- WoodshedKeep a practice record, set goals and work on songs with tools for looping, changing speed and changing key.
- 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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