Seven Year Ache Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Seven Year Ache in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G – C – Am – G
How it goes
Seven Year Ache sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; C is C, E and G; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GVCIAmviGV
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
- AmA · C · E
17 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: Gear-shift chords
How it goes
Quick even chords that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Gear-shift chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
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: Dm – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are ii – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DmGC
- DmD · F · A

What chords are in Seven Year Ache?

The loop is G – C – Am – G (V – I – vi – V) in C major, and the song ends on Dm – G – C.

What key is Seven Year Ache in?

C major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Seven Year Ache?

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 Seven Year Ache 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.