Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag on piano
By Felix Powell
- G major
- 2/4
- 110 BPM
- I–V7–I–IV loop
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – D7 – G – C
How it goes
Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D7 is D, F#, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GID7V7GICIV- GG · B · D
- D7D · F# · A · C
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Ragtime bounce
How it goes
Quick bass-chord-bass-chord: the bouncy left hand of ragtime. Musicians call it boom-chick (2/4) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 137 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Marching chords
How it goes
Two chords per bar, left-right, like a happy little march. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 110 BPM
How it goes
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 – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag
What chords are in Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag?
The loop is G – D7 – G – C (I – V7 – I – IV) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag in?
G major, at about 110 beats a minute in 2/4.
What does the left hand play in Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag?
Ragtime bounce: boom-chick (2/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag 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.