Are you a Bruno Mars fan? Do you want to master the intro of his hit song “Versace on the Floor” on the piano?
Look no further! In this tutorial, we’ll break down the steps to playing this iconic intro.
First things first, let’s get familiar with the chords used in the intro. The chords are Dm7, G7, and Cmaj7. If you’re not familiar with these chords yet, don’t worry – we have another tutorial on how to play them that you can check out.
Now that you know the chords, let’s move on to the actual intro. The intro consists of three sections: an arpeggio section, a chord section, and a melody section.
The Arpeggio Section:
The arpeggio section is played with your right hand and starts on the Dm7 chord. Here’s how to play it:
- Place your thumb (1) on D
- Place your index finger (2) on F
- Place your ring finger (4) on A
- Play these notes in order: 1-2-4-2
After playing this pattern twice, move your hand up to play the same pattern starting on G (with your thumb on G instead of D). Then move up again to play it starting on C. Here’s what it looks like:
The Chord Section:
The chord section is played with your left hand and consists of simply playing each chord once in order: Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7. Here are the fingerings for each chord:
- Dm7: Play notes D, F, A, and C with fingers 1, 2, 3, and 5 respectively
- G7: Play notes G, B, D, and F with fingers 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively
- Cmaj7: Play notes C, E, G and B with fingers 1-2-3-5 respectively
The Melody Section:
The melody section is played with your right hand and consists of playing a simple melody that goes like this:
- Play a quarter note C on beat one
- Play an eighth note Bb on the “&” of beat one
- Play a quarter note A on beat two
- Play an eighth note G on the “&” of beat two
- Hold the note G for two beats (half note) into the next measure
Here’s what it looks like:
Putting It All Together:
Now that you know all three sections of the intro, it’s time to put them together! Here’s how to play the entire intro:
- Start with your left hand on the Dm7 chord and your right hand ready to play the arpeggio pattern starting on D.
- Play the arpeggio pattern twice.
- While holding the last note of the arpeggio pattern (A), play the melody section as described above.
- Next, move your left hand to play the G7 chord while your right hand moves up to play the arpeggio pattern starting on G.
- Play the arpeggio pattern twice, then play the melody section again (starting on beat three this time).
- Finally, move your left hand to play the Cmaj7 chord while your right hand moves up to play the arpeggio pattern starting on C.
- Play the arpeggio pattern twice, then end with a final note on G (with your left hand still holding down the Cmaj7 chord).
And that’s it! With a little bit of practice, you’ll have this intro mastered in no time. Happy playing!