Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play California Girls on piano
Artist unknown
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 118 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn California Girls in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Ab – Eb – F7
How it goes
California Girls sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; F7 is F, A, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIAbbVIIEbIVF7V7- BbBb · D · F
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Happy wiggle
How it goes
Root, fifth, a step up and back: a cheerful bluesy wiggle. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-6-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 165 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 118 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: Bb – Cm – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCmBb- CmC · Eb · G
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Questions about California Girls
What chords are in California Girls?
The loop is Bb – Ab – Eb – F7 (I – bVII – IV – V7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – Cm – Bb.
What key is California Girls in?
Bb major, at about 118 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in California Girls?
Happy wiggle: broken chord 1-5-6-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is California Girls 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.