Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Going Back To New Orleans on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Going Back To New Orleans in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bm – G7 – F#7 – Bm
How it goes
Going Back To New Orleans sits in B minor: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; G7 is G, B, D and F; F#7 is F#, A#, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmiG7VI7F#7V7Bmi
- BmB · D · F#
- G7G · B · D · F
- F#7F# · A# · C# · E
14 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Drowsy heartbeat
How it goes
Two slow notes, then a late one that slips in before the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 889 songs of the library.
Drowsy heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 160 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
Ending: G – A – Bm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GABm
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E

What chords are in Going Back To New Orleans?

The loop is Bm – G7 – F#7 – Bm (i – bVI7 – V7 – i) in B minor, and the song ends on G – A – Bm.

What key is Going Back To New Orleans in?

B minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Going Back To New Orleans?

Drowsy heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Going Back To New Orleans 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.

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