All About That Bass Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn All About That Bass in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: A – A – Bm – Bm
All About That Bass sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIAIBmiiBmii
- AA · C# · E
- BmB · D · F#
169 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Giant steps
A full chord on every beat, low and heavy, like a giant walking. Musicians call it lh chords (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Giant stepsLeft-hand chords · RockLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Double island chords
The island rhythm squeezed in twice per bar: quick and dancy. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Double island chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 129 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: Bm – E7 – A
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BmE7A
- E7E · G# · B · D

What chords are in All About That Bass?

The loop is A – A – Bm – Bm (I – ii – I – ii) in A major, and the song ends on Bm – E7 – A.

What key is All About That Bass in?

A major, at about 129 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in All About That Bass?

Giant steps: lh chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is All About That Bass 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.

Can I hear the real melody of All About That Bass?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the bass riff of the song from a score, with both hands.