Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena) on piano
By Jan & Dean
- F major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1964
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena) in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – C7 – F – Bb
How it goes
The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena) sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbbIIIC7V7FIBbIV- AbAb · C · Eb
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Stair steps
How it goes
Three notes climb up the chord in the island rhythm. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 438 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
How it goes
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: Bb – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- CC · E · G
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Questions about The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)
What chords are in The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)?
The loop is Ab – C7 – F – Bb (bIII – V7 – I – IV) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena) in?
F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)?
Stair steps: broken chord 1-3-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena) 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.