Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play Don't Ask The Lady What The Lady Did Before on piano

By Cy Coleman

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Hopscotch chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn Don't Ask The Lady What The Lady Did Before in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: G7 – Cm – F7 – Bb

    How it goes

    Don't Ask The Lady What The Lady Did Before sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    G7VI7CmiiF7V7BbI
    • G7G · B · D · F
    • CmC · Eb · G
    • F7F · A · C · Eb
    • BbBb · D · F
    41 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Jazz walk

    How it goes

    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: Hopscotch chords

    How it goes

    Chord, chord, skip beat 3, chord: hopping over a square. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 120 BPM

    How it goes

    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: Eb – F – Bb

    How it goes

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

    EbFBb
    • EbEb · G · Bb
    • FF · A · C

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Questions about Don't Ask The Lady What The Lady Did Before

What chords are in Don't Ask The Lady What The Lady Did Before?

The loop is G7 – Cm – F7 – Bb (VI7 – ii – V7 – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Don't Ask The Lady What The Lady Did Before in?

Bb major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Don't Ask The Lady What The Lady Did Before?

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

Is Don't Ask The Lady What The Lady Did Before 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.

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