Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play It's America on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn It's America in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bb – Eb – Gm – F
How it goes
It's America sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Gm is G, Bb and D; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIEbIVGmviFV
- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
- GmG · Bb · D
- FF · A · C
67 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
How it goes
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Heartbeat octavesRocking octaves · RockLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pumping chordsPumping 8ths · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 148 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: Gm – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are vi – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GmFBb

What chords are in It's America?

The loop is Bb – Eb – Gm – F (I – IV – vi – V) in Bb major, and the song ends on Gm – F – Bb.

What key is It's America in?

Bb major, at about 148 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in It's America?

Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is It's America 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.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.