Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Classical salon

How to play Good Rockin’ Tonight on piano

By Elvis Presley

  • E major
  • 4/4
  • 140 BPM
  • 1948
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Little stepsRight hand Freeze-tag chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn Good Rockin’ Tonight in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: E – B7 – E – A7

    Good Rockin’ Tonight sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; B7 is B, D#, F# and A; A7 is A, C#, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    EIB7V7EIA7IV7
    • EE · G# · B
    • B7B · D# · F# · A
    • A7A · C# · E · G
  2. 2

    Left hand: Little steps

    Up the chord and back, one step at a time. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5-3 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 304 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Freeze-tag chords

    Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 140 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: A – B – E

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

    ABE
    • AA · C# · E
    • BB · D# · F#

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Questions about Good Rockin’ Tonight

What chords are in Good Rockin’ Tonight?

The loop is E – B7 – E – A7 (I – V7 – I – IV7) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.

What key is Good Rockin’ Tonight in?

E major, at about 140 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Good Rockin’ Tonight?

Little steps: broken chord 1-3-5-3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Good Rockin’ Tonight 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.