Keep A-Knockin' Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Keep A-Knockin' in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G – D – G – D
Keep A-Knockin' sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIDVGIDV
- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
144 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Doorbell ding-dong
Two high, two low, in a lazy push rhythm: ding-ding, dong-dong. Musicians call it broken chord 8-8-5-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 472 songs of the library.
Doorbell ding-dongBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 120 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: G – D – G
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GDG

What chords are in Keep A-Knockin'?

The loop is G – D – G – D (I – V – I – V) in G major, and the song ends on G – D – G.

What key is Keep A-Knockin' in?

G major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Keep A-Knockin'?

Doorbell ding-dong: broken chord 8-8-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Keep A-Knockin' 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.