What It Ain't Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn What It Ain't in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G – C7 – G – D7
What It Ain't sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIC7IV7GID7V7
- GG · B · D
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- D7D · F# · A · C
22 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: Hide-and-seek chords
Hides on beat 1, pops up on 2, sneaks in before beat 4, then lands on it. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hide-and-seek chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
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 – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG
- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A

What chords are in What It Ain't?

The loop is G – C7 – G – D7 (I – IV7 – I – V7) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is What It Ain't in?

G major, at about 140 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in What It Ain't?

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

Is What It Ain't 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.