Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play American Woman on piano

Artist unknown

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 92 BPM
  • Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Rock’n’roll rockerRight hand Ticking clockChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn American Woman in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: A – G – A – G

    American Woman sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    AIIGIAIIGI
    • AA · C# · E
    • GG · B · D
  2. 2

    Left hand: Rock’n’roll rocker

    The left hand rocks between two shapes, straight out of the 1950s. Musicians call it rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 262 songs of the library.

    Rock’n’roll rockerBoogie & shuffle · Blues and boogie-woogieLeft handMedium
  3. 3

    Right hand: Ticking clock

    One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

    Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
  4. 4

    Both hands at 92 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. 5

    Ending: C – D – G

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    CDG
    • CC · E · G
    • DD · F# · A

Play next

The same left hand: Rock’n’roll rocker

About this pattern
Georgia On My MindRay Charles
Great Balls Of FireJerry Lee Lewis
Jingle BellsJ. Pierpont
Come TogetherThe Beatles

Questions about American Woman

What chords are in American Woman?

The loop is A – G – A – G (II5 – I5 – II5 – I5) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is American Woman in?

G major, at about 92 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in American Woman?

Rock’n’roll rocker: rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is American Woman 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 American Woman?

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

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.