Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play What Kind Of Fool on piano
By Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb
- D major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- 1980
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn What Kind Of Fool in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – G – D – G
How it goes
What Kind Of Fool sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGIVDIGIV- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Dip-and-back bounce
How it goes
The root twice, a dip down on beat 3, and right back up on beat 4. Musicians call it broken chord 8-8-5-8 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 188 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
How it goes
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: G – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- AA · C# · E
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Questions about What Kind Of Fool
What chords are in What Kind Of Fool?
The loop is D – G – D – G (I – IV – I – IV) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is What Kind Of Fool in?
D major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in What Kind Of Fool?
Dip-and-back bounce: broken chord 8-8-5-8, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is What Kind Of Fool easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.