Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Ain’t Nobody Home on piano
Written by Jerry Ragavoy
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 92 BPM
- I–IV–V–I loop
- 1966
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Ain’t Nobody Home in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Db – Eb – Ab
How it goes
Ain’t Nobody Home sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Db is Db, F and Ab; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIDbIVEbVAbI- AbAb · C · Eb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Sleep-in chords
How it goes
Quiet for half the bar, then three chords wake up near the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 92 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: Db – Eb – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb
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Questions about Ain’t Nobody Home
What chords are in Ain’t Nobody Home?
The loop is Ab – Db – Eb – Ab (I – IV – V – I) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Ain’t Nobody Home in?
Ab major, at about 92 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Ain’t Nobody Home?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ain’t Nobody Home 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.