Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play I'm Black/Ain't Got No (from 'hair') on piano

By Galt MacDermot

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Wobbling tick-tockRight hand Soft chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn I'm Black/Ain't Got No (from 'hair') in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Em – G – Em – G

    How it goes

    I'm Black/Ain't Got No (from 'hair') sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    EmiGIIIEmiGIII
    • EmE · G · B
    • GG · B · D
    23 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Wobbling tick-tock

    How it goes

    The root and the note just below take turns: a cheeky swinging wobble. Musicians call it broken chord 8-7 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 303 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Soft chords

    How it goes

    Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 144 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: C – D – Em

    How it goes

    The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    CDEm
    • CC · E · G
    • DD · F# · A

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Questions about I'm Black/Ain't Got No (from 'hair')

What chords are in I'm Black/Ain't Got No (from 'hair')?

The loop is Em – G – Em – G (i – bIII – i – bIII) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.

What key is I'm Black/Ain't Got No (from 'hair') in?

E minor, at about 144 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in I'm Black/Ain't Got No (from 'hair')?

Wobbling tick-tock: broken chord 8-7, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I'm Black/Ain't Got No (from 'hair') 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.