Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Great Big Stuff on piano
By David Yazbek
- G major
- 4/4
- 108 BPM
- 2004
- Medium
Learn Great Big Stuff in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G7 – C – Eb – F#
Great Big Stuff sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; F# is F#, A# and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7I7CIVEbbVIF#VII- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
- EbEb · G · Bb
- F#F# · A# · C#
- 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.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 108 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: C – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
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Questions about Great Big Stuff
What chords are in Great Big Stuff?
The loop is G7 – C – Eb – F# (I7 – IV5 – bVI5 – VII5) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Great Big Stuff in?
G major, at about 108 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Great Big Stuff?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Great Big Stuff 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.