How to play What Goes On on piano

Learn What Goes On in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: F – C – F – C
How it goes
What Goes On sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIVCIFIVCI
- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
384 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: Offbeat skank
How it goes
Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Offbeat skankOffbeat chords · Blues and boogie-woogieRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 134 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: C – F – C
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CFC

What chords are in What Goes On?

The loop is F – C – F – C (IV – I – IV – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – F – C.

What key is What Goes On in?

C major, at about 134 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in What Goes On?

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 Goes On 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.