Evil Ways Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Evil Ways 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
Evil Ways 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: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Gospel-clap chords
Skips beat 1, then soulful chords that bounce off the “ands”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Gospel-clap chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 110 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 Evil Ways?

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 Evil Ways in?

G minor, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Evil Ways?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Evil Ways 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.