Cadillac Car Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Cadillac Car in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Gm – C – Gm – C
Cadillac Car sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmiCIVGmiCIV
- GmG · Bb · D
- CC · E · G
34 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Upside-down pulse
Every note lands between the beats, so it bounces like reggae. Musicians call it root bass · offbeats (&s) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 176 songs of the library.
Upside-down pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Gear-shift chords
Quick even chords that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Gear-shift chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 135 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 – F – Gm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFGm
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C

What chords are in Cadillac Car?

The loop is Gm – C – Gm – C (i – IV – i – IV) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.

What key is Cadillac Car in?

G minor, at about 135 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Cadillac Car?

Upside-down pulse: root bass · offbeats (&s), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Cadillac Car 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.