Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Double Trouble on piano
By Otis Rush
- D minor
- 4/4
- 72 BPM
- iv–i–iv–i loop
- 1965
- Tricky
Learn Double Trouble in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Dm – Gm – Dm
Double Trouble sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmivDmiGmivDmi- GmG · Bb · D
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Trotting-sleigh chords
Three quick chords on every beat: a rolling, joyful gallop. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 72 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: Bb – C – Dm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Double Trouble
What chords are in Double Trouble?
The loop is Gm – Dm – Gm – Dm (iv – i – iv – i) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Double Trouble in?
D minor, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Double Trouble?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Double Trouble easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.