If I Only Had A Brain Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn If I Only Had A Brain in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Dm7 – Gm7 – Gm7 – F – F – Dm7
If I Only Had A Brain sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: Dm7 is D, F, A and C; Gm7 is G, Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Dm7vi7Gm7ii7Gm7ii7FIFIDm7vi7
- Dm7D · F · A · C
- Gm7G · Bb · D · F
- FF · A · C
75 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Stride jumps
Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps. Musicians call it stride (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in 961 songs of the library.
Stride jumpsStride & boom-chick · StrideLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pausing chords
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pausing chordsBlock chords · ClassicalRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 100 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: Gm – C7 – F
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GmC7F
- GmG · Bb · D
- C7C · E · G · Bb

What chords are in If I Only Had A Brain?

The loop is Dm7 – Gm7 – Gm7 – F – F – Dm7 (vi7 – ii7 – I – vi7 – ii7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on Gm – C7 – F.

What key is If I Only Had A Brain in?

F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in If I Only Had A Brain?

Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is If I Only Had A Brain easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of If I Only Had A Brain?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.