Piano chords · Bossa beach
How to play This Is A Great Country on piano
Written by Irving Berlin
- C major
- 4/4
- 140 BPM
- 1962
- Easy
Learn This Is A Great Country in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C#dim – Dm – G7 – C
This Is A Great Country sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C#dim is C#, E and G; Dm is D, F and A; G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C#dimbii°DmiiG7V7CI- C#dimC# · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Lazy seesaw
A low note, a higher one, a gap, then the higher one again. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-5 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 520 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 140 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
Ending: C – Dm – C
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDmC
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Questions about This Is A Great Country
What chords are in This Is A Great Country?
The loop is C#dim – Dm – G7 – C (biio – ii – V7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – Dm – C.
What key is This Is A Great Country in?
C major, at about 140 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in This Is A Great Country?
Lazy seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is This Is A Great Country 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.