Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Ain’t No Way on piano
- Eb major
- 6/8
- 70 BPM
- 1968
- Medium
Learn Ain’t No Way in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Bb – Bbm – C7
Ain’t No Way sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Bbm is Bb, Db and F; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIBbVBbmvC7VI7- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- BbmBb · Db · F
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Cradle pulse
A deep note, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 160 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hammock chords
Long-short, long-short: soft chords sway like a hammock. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 70 BPM
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: Eb – Ab – Eb
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbAbEb- AbAb · C · Eb
Play next
Questions about Ain’t No Way
What chords are in Ain’t No Way?
The loop is Eb – Bb – Bbm – C7 (I – V – v – VI7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Ab – Eb.
What key is Ain’t No Way in?
Eb major, at about 70 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Ain’t No Way?
Cradle pulse: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ain’t No Way 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.