Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Work This Out on piano
- Bb minor
- 4/4
- 122 BPM
- 2007
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Work This Out in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bbm – Db – Ab – Eb
How it goes
Work This Out sits in Bb minor: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bbm is Bb, Db and F; Db is Db, F and Ab; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbmiDbIIIAbVIIEbIV- BbmBb · Db · F
- DbDb · F · Ab
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Dawdling footsteps
How it goes
Two steps, then a lazy late note after beat 3 that catches up on 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 222 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 122 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: Gb – Ab – Bbm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbAbBbm- GbGb · Bb · Db
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Questions about Work This Out
What chords are in Work This Out?
The loop is Bbm – Db – Ab – Eb (i – bIII – bVII – IV) in Bb minor, and the song ends on Gb – Ab – Bbm.
What key is Work This Out in?
Bb minor, at about 122 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Work This Out?
Dawdling footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Work This Out 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.