Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play Little Green Apples on piano

By Roger Miller

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Gentle rockingRight hand Heartbeat chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn Little Green Apples in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Am – D7 – Am – D7

    Little Green Apples sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    AmiiD7V7AmiiD7V7
    • AmA · C · E
    • D7D · F# · A · C
    136 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Gentle rocking

    Root, fifth, octave, fifth: the gentle rocking under countless pop ballads. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 696 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Heartbeat chords

    Long, short, long: chords on the pop heartbeat, then a rest. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 100 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. 5

    Ending: Am – D7 – G

    The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    AmD7G
    • GG · B · D

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Questions about Little Green Apples

What chords are in Little Green Apples?

The loop is Am – D7 – Am – D7 (ii – V7 – ii – V7) in G major, and the song ends on Am – D7 – G.

What key is Little Green Apples in?

G major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Little Green Apples?

Gentle rocking: broken chord 1-5-8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Little Green Apples 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.