What Is A Man? Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn What Is A Man? in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Ab – Eb – Ab – Eb
How it goes
What Is A Man? sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIEbVAbIEbV
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
144 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Hopscotch steps
How it goes
Step, step, skip a beat, step: like hopping over a square. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 668 songs of the library.
Hopscotch stepsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Polka-hop chords
How it goes
Chords only on the “ands” in a quick two-beat bar: the “pah” of a polka. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Polka-hop chordsOffbeat chords · StrideRight handEasy
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: Db – Eb – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb
- DbDb · F · Ab

What chords are in What Is A Man??

The loop is Ab – Eb – Ab – Eb (I – V – I – V) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.

What key is What Is A Man? in?

Ab major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in What Is A Man??

Hopscotch steps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is What Is A Man? 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.