Can You Learn Piano From Uptown Funk? (A Song With NO Piano in It)

Learn piano, theory, and ear training through Uptown Funk — D Dorian, 7th chord inversions, voice leading & 4 funky comping patterns. What if you could learn piano, music theory, ear training, AND arranging — all from one song? In this lesson, Jason Zac uses Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars as a vehicle for all four goals at once. The twist? There's no piano in the song. We start by identifying the mode (D Dorian) and the two chords driving the whole track: D minor 7th and G dominant 7th. You'll learn minors in packs of four — Natural, Harmonic, Dorian and Melodic — so you'll instantly recognise the funky minor sound anywhere. Then we get into the piano work: all four inversions of Dm7 and G7, voice leading through common tones, and rhythm patterns including block chords, octave toggling bass, staccato funk articulation, and triplet (tresio) feels. Every shape connects to a usable groove. Next comes the song ingredient breakdown — vocal bass line on a 16th-note grid, Bruno Mars's vocal as the rhythmic engine, plus guitar comping, horn harmonies and the bass guitar. You'll learn to reverse-engineer a stereo file like a DAW, then translate those ingredients into FOUR funky right-hand piano patterns paired with a transcribed bass line. Ready to practise smarter? Apply for our courses or browse the full video library at nathanielschool.com. Like, share, subscribe and hit the bell for more song-based piano lessons! 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) - https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🏡 Visit our Channel for more Tutorials & Performances - https://geni.us/NathanielYouTube ============================= ▶️ Related Videos & Playlists 🎬 Compose with Dorian Mode & Chord Progressions - https://youtu.be/NCFZhIyG0Y8 🎯 Melodic Arpeggios: Accents & Progressions - https://youtu.be/DbL4DJnwIhA 🔑 Arpeggios, Inversions & Hand Independence - https://youtu.be/e9Xqa_ibLeg 💡 Chord Inversions, Rhythm & Hand Independence - https://youtu.be/PALjV-WuYJE 📂 Jazz Lessons - Chords, Standards & Exercises - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9ZCriHyNonJasffWWSCS_E ============================= 🎓 Learn Music With Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac: https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) categorised by skill level, topic & genre all in one place: https://free-music-lessons.nathanielschool.com ⏳ Chapter markers 00:00 - Performance 00:38 - 🎹 Intro — A New Kind of Piano Lesson 01:25 - The 4 Goals: Piano, Theory, Ear & Song Ingredients 05:45 - 🎵 Uptown Funk — The Two Chords: Dm7 & G7 06:58 - Minors in Packs of 4: Natural, Harmonic, Dorian, Melodic 08:01 - Root Position Block Chords 08:42 - First Inversion + Octave Toggling Bass 10:07 - Second Inversion + Staccato Funk Articulation 10:46 - Third Inversion + Tresio (Triplet) Rhythm 11:06 - LH Pattern with Root Position 11:44 - Octave toggle in LH with 1st Inversion 12:36 - Dotted notes on LH with 2nd Inversion 13:29 - Tresillo on LH with 3rd Inversion 14:56 - Song Ingredient Analysis — What Do You Hear? 18:37 - How to Map Out Song Ingredients 19:20 - Left Hand = Bass, Right Hand = Guitar 19:37 - 🥁 Funky Pattern 1: Block Chords on 1 & 3 with E’s 20:36 - Funky Pattern 2: More E’s and A’s 21:27 - Funky Pattern 3: Guitar Comping Pattern 22:34 - Funky Pattern 4: The Arpeggio Pattern 23:23 - Transcribing the Bass Line for Left Hand 24:48 - Nathaniel Metronome App Walkthrough 25:29 - Combining Bass Line + Right Hand Pulse 26:42 - Bass Line — 2 and 4 Hits 27:15 - Bass Line — Off-beats 27:40 - 🔥 Final Funky Right-Hand Rhythm 28:31 - Summary — 4 Goals, 4 Inversions, 4 Funky Patterns 30:19 - 🎹Outro & Course Info 💰 Donate on PayPal: https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 +917760456847 (Mobile & WhatsApp) 📧 Customised & Private Classes: music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music: https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #UptownFunk #DDorian #FunkPiano