Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play One Bad Apple on piano
Written by George Jackson
- C major
- 2/2
- 140 BPM
- 1970
- Medium
Learn One Bad Apple in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – G – F – Em
One Bad Apple sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; G is G, B and D; F is F, A and C; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviGVFIVEmiii- AmA · C · E
- GG · B · D
- FF · A · C
- EmE · G · B
- 2
Left hand: Pony-trot pulse
Quick trotting notes, then a jump over beat 3 to its “and”. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 114 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pony-trot chords
Quick trotting chords, then a jump over beat 3 to its “and”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 140 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: C – Dm – C
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDmC- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
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Questions about One Bad Apple
What chords are in One Bad Apple?
The loop is Am – G – F – Em (vi – V – IV – iii) in C major, and the song ends on C – Dm – C.
What key is One Bad Apple in?
C major, at about 140 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in One Bad Apple?
Pony-trot pulse: root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is One Bad Apple 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.