Basket Case Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Basket Case in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: Bb – Eb – Bb – Cm
How it goes
Basket Case sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbVEbIBbVCmvi
- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
- CmC · Eb · G
31 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Bossa chords
How it goes
Long-short, long-short, leaning ahead: soft Brazilian chords. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Bossa chordsSyncopated chords · Bossa novaRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 160 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb
- AbAb · C · Eb

What chords are in Basket Case?

The loop is Bb – Eb – Bb – Cm (V – I – V – vi) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.

What key is Basket Case in?

Eb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Basket Case?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Basket Case 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.