Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play Ow on piano

By Dizzy Gillespie

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Bouncy-ball chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn Ow in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: Bb – Cm – F7 – Bb

    Ow sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G; F7 is F, A, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    BbICmiiF7V7BbI
    • BbBb · D · F
    • CmC · Eb · G
    • F7F · A · C · Eb
    169 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Jazz walk

    One note per beat, strolling like a jazz bassist. Musicians call it walking bass (walking bass), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Bouncy-ball chords

    One chord, then chords bouncing on every “and”, like a ball. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 160 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: Eb – F – Bb

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

    EbFBb
    • EbEb · G · Bb
    • FF · A · C

Play next

Questions about Ow

What chords are in Ow?

The loop is Bb – Cm – F7 – Bb (I – ii – V7 – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Ow in?

Bb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Ow?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Ow 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.