Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play I Got Rhythm on piano
- F major
- 2/4
- 100 BPM
- 1930
- Tricky
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I Got Rhythm in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Am – C7 – F
How it goes
I Got Rhythm sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Am is A, C and E; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmiiAmiiiC7V7FI- GmG · Bb · D
- AmA · C · E
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Kangaroo leaps
How it goes
Bass, high chord, bass, high chord, fast: the hand leaps like a kangaroo. Musicians call it stride (2/4) (stride & boom-chick), a tricky pattern heard in 107 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hopscotch bells
How it goes
A high bell note, a chord, a skipped beat, and one more chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Bb – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
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Questions about I Got Rhythm
What chords are in I Got Rhythm?
The loop is Gm – Am – C7 – F (ii – iii – V7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is I Got Rhythm in?
F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/4.
What does the left hand play in I Got Rhythm?
Kangaroo leaps: stride (2/4), a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Got Rhythm easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of I Got Rhythm?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 6 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.