Baby What A Big Surprise: E-Z Play Today

This track captures Chicago's signature blend of groove and musicianship in a four-page arrangement that remains accessible without sacrificing character. Students get to experience how pop songwriting works when it's built on genuine harmonic and rhythmic sophistication, making this both rewarding to play and genuinely fun.

Confident and breezy, with an undercurrent of sophistication. The piano carries both the rhythmic thrust and harmonic intelligence that defined Chicago's best work, creating an arrangement that feels both joyful and musically substantial.

Piano students who want to explore 1970s pop and rock styles will find this arrangement engaging and appropriately challenging. Teachers can use this to show how horn band arrangements translate to keyboard settings.

• Lock the syncopated rhythms in the left hand with the phrasing in the right to nail the pocket that gives this song its swagger.
• Pay attention to the dynamics marked throughout; this song breathes through volume shifts rather than dramatic tempo changes.
• Let the groove settle into your fingers before worrying about speed; the song lives in its pocket, not its tempo.

Consider this for a concert exploring 1970s songwriting or for a set featuring pop and rock repertoire that elevates beyond standard arrangements. It works particularly well when paired with other pieces that show the evolution of rock musicianship during that decade.

• Syncopated left-hand rhythms in a pop/rock context
• Interpreting horn-band voicings on keyboard
• Maintaining groove while reading written dynamics
• Balancing melody and accompaniment roles