Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water on piano

Written by Joe T. Babcock

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Peekaboo chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: C – F – C – F

    How it goes

    I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    CVFICVFI
    • CC · E · G
    • FF · A · C
    80 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Pop heartbeat

    How it goes

    Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.

    Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
  3. 3

    Right hand: Peekaboo chords

    How it goes

    A chord on 2, then two surprises popping up between the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

    Peekaboo chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
  4. 4

    Both hands at 160 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. 5

    Ending: F – C – F

    How it goes

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

    FCF

Play next

The same V–I–V–I loop

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Questions about I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water

What chords are in I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water?

The loop is C – F – C – F (V – I – V – I) in F major, and the song ends on F – C – F.

What key is I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water in?

F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water 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.