Perfectly Good Guitar Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Perfectly Good Guitar in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – Em – D – Em
How it goes
Perfectly Good Guitar sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DVEmviDVEmvi
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
23 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Bossa sway
How it goes
Long-short, long-short, leaning ahead: a gentle Brazilian sway. Musicians call it root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Bossa swayRoot bass rhythm · Bossa novaLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Push chords
How it goes
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Push chordsSyncopated chords · RockRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 100 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
- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D

What chords are in Perfectly Good Guitar?

The loop is D – Em – D – Em (V – vi – V – vi) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Perfectly Good Guitar in?

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

What does the left hand play in Perfectly Good Guitar?

Bossa sway: root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Perfectly Good Guitar 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.