Pieces › Accompanying real hits

La Bamba

Ritchie Valens: three chords and lots of energy

C – F – G, on a loop from start to finish: La Bamba is the easiest rock ’n’ roll hit to accompany. The challenge is the tempo, which is very fast.

Start in quarter notes, then move to eighth notes once the changes come automatically.

The song: Ritchie Valens, 1958 · C major · ≈ 145 BPM

Tips

• Start at 50% speed, then build up little by little.
• The G lasts a whole measure: that’s your moment to breathe.

Chords in quarter notes

C, F (two beats each), then G (four beats).

Rock ’n’ roll with both hands

Eighth-note chords on the right, half-note bass on the left.