Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play How Bad Can I Be on piano
By John Powell
- E major
- 4/4
- 88 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn How Bad Can I Be in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E7 – D – A – E7
How it goes
How Bad Can I Be sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E7 is E, G#, B and D; D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
E7I7DbVIIAIVE7I7- E7E · G# · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
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
How it goes
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 88 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: A – B – E
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- BB · D# · F#
- EE · G# · B
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Questions about How Bad Can I Be
What chords are in How Bad Can I Be?
The loop is E7 – D – A – E7 (I7 – bVII – IV – I7) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is How Bad Can I Be in?
E major, at about 88 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in How Bad Can I Be?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is How Bad Can I Be 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.