Bad Old Days Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Bad Old Days in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: A – E7 – A – E7
Bad Old Days sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; E7 is E, G#, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIE7V7AIE7V7
- AA · C# · E
- E7E · G# · B · D
222 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Ping-pong bounce
High, low, high, low on every beat: a ping-pong bounce. Musicians call it broken chord 8-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 302 songs of the library.
Ping-pong bounceBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Offbeat skank
Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Offbeat skankOffbeat chords · Blues and boogie-woogieRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 120 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: A – E7 – A
The last chords are I – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AE7A

What chords are in Bad Old Days?

The loop is A – E7 – A – E7 (I – V7 – I – V7) in A major, and the song ends on A – E7 – A.

What key is Bad Old Days in?

A major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Bad Old Days?

Ping-pong bounce: broken chord 8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Bad Old Days easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.