Three Little Birds Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Three Little Birds in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: A – D – G – D
Three Little Birds sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIDIVGbVIIDIV
- AA · C# · E
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
23 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Boogie walker
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
Boogie walkerBoogie & shuffle · Blues and boogie-woogieLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 74 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: G – D – A
The last chords are bVII – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GDA

What chords are in Three Little Birds?

The loop is A – D – G – D (I – IV – bVII – IV) in A major, and the song ends on G – D – A.

What key is Three Little Birds in?

A major, at about 74 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Three Little Birds?

Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Three Little Birds 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.