Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play It’s Not Right But It’s Okay on piano
Written by Lashawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins & others
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1998
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn It’s Not Right But It’s Okay in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Bb – Gm – Ab
How it goes
It’s Not Right But It’s Okay sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Bb is Bb, D and F; Gm is G, Bb and D; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmviBbVGmiiiAbIV- CmC · Eb · G
- BbBb · D · F
- GmG · Bb · D
- AbAb · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Double island pulse
How it goes
The island rhythm squeezed in twice per bar: quick and dancy. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3 · 3a · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 122 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about It’s Not Right But It’s Okay
What chords are in It’s Not Right But It’s Okay?
The loop is Cm – Bb – Gm – Ab (vi – V – iii – IV) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is It’s Not Right But It’s Okay in?
Eb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in It’s Not Right But It’s Okay?
Double island pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3 · 3a · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is It’s Not Right But It’s Okay 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.