I Heard It Through The Grapevine Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn I Heard It Through The Grapevine in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: F7 – C7 – F7 – C7
How it goes
I Heard It Through The Grapevine sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F7 is F, A, C and Eb; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F7IV7C7I7F7IV7C7I7
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- C7C · E · G · Bb
15 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
Tick-tick-boom pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Gospel-clap chords
How it goes
Skips beat 1, then soulful chords that bounce off the “ands”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Gospel-clap chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 120 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G

What chords are in I Heard It Through The Grapevine?

The loop is F7 – C7 – F7 – C7 (IV7 – I7 – IV7 – I7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is I Heard It Through The Grapevine in?

C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in I Heard It Through The Grapevine?

Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I Heard It Through The Grapevine 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.