Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play Mess Around on piano
Written by Ahmet Ertegun
- C major
- 2/2
- 135 BPM
- V7–ii–V7–I loop
- 1954
- Medium
Learn Mess Around in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G7 – Dm – G7 – C
Mess Around sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; Dm is D, F and A; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7V7DmiiG7V7CI- G7G · B · D · F
- DmD · F · A
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Boogie walker
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Freeze-tag chords
Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 135 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: F – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
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Questions about Mess Around
What chords are in Mess Around?
The loop is G7 – Dm – G7 – C (V7 – ii – V7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Mess Around in?
C major, at about 135 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Mess Around?
Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Mess Around 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.