Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play Chances Are on piano

By Johnny Mathis

  • G major
  • 2/2
  • 92 BPM
  • 1957
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Heartbeat chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

Learn Chances Are in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: C – G7 – C – Am – D – Bm7 – E – Em

    Chances Are sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: C is C, E and G; G7 is G, B, D and F; Am is A, C and E; D is D, F# and A; Bm7 is B, D, F# and A; E is E, G# and B; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    CIVG7I7CIVAmiiDVBm7iii7EVIEmvi
    • CC · E · G
    • G7G · B · D · F
    • AmA · C · E
    • DD · F# · A
    • Bm7B · D · F# · A
    • EE · G# · B
    • EmE · G · B
    20 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Jazz walk

    One note per beat, strolling like a jazz bassist. Musicians call it walking bass (walking bass), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Heartbeat chords

    Long, short, long: chords on the pop heartbeat, then a rest. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  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
    • GG · B · D

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Questions about Chances Are

What chords are in Chances Are?

The loop is C – G7 – C – Am – D – Bm7 – E – Em (IV – I7 – IV – ii – V – iii7 – VI – vi) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Chances Are in?

G major, at about 92 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Chances Are?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Chances Are easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 8 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Chances Are?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune 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.