Chain Gang Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Chain Gang in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G – Em – C – D
How it goes
Chain Gang sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Em is E, G and B; C is C, E and G; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIEmviCIVDV
- GG · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
95 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Island pulse
How it goes
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Island pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Hurrying chords
How it goes
Calm chords in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hurrying chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 132 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: C – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG

What chords are in Chain Gang?

The loop is G – Em – C – D (I – vi – IV – V) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Chain Gang in?

G major, at about 132 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Chain Gang?

Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Chain Gang 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.