What A Girl Wants Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn What A Girl Wants in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Am – Em – Am – Em
How it goes
What A Girl Wants sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviEmiiiAmviEmiii
- AmA · C · E
- EmE · G · B
29 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Gear-shift pulse
How it goes
Quick even notes that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 181 songs of the library.
Gear-shift pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Eager chords
How it goes
Jumps in early before beat 3, like the chords can’t wait. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Eager chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 120 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G

What chords are in What A Girl Wants?

The loop is Am – Em – Am – Em (vi – iii – vi – iii) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is What A Girl Wants in?

C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in What A Girl Wants?

Gear-shift pulse: root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is What A Girl Wants 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.