Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play If It Wasn't For Bad on piano
- D minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- i–bVI–bVII–i loop
- 2010
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn If It Wasn't For Bad in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – Bb – C – Dm
How it goes
If It Wasn't For Bad sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; Bb is Bb, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmiBbVICVIIDmi- DmD · F · A
- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
- 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.
- 3
Right hand: Freeze-tag chords
How it goes
Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: Bb – C – Dm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm
Play next
Questions about If It Wasn't For Bad
What chords are in If It Wasn't For Bad?
The loop is Dm – Bb – C – Dm (i – bVI – bVII – i) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is If It Wasn't For Bad in?
D minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in If It Wasn't For Bad?
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 If It Wasn't For Bad 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.