Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play What Time Is It on piano
- F major
- 4/4
- 116 BPM
- 2007
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn What Time Is It in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F7 – Eb – F7 – Eb
How it goes
What Time Is It sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F7I7EbbVIIF7I7EbbVII- F7F · A · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Dawdling footsteps
How it goes
Two steps, then a lazy late note after beat 3 that catches up on 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 222 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 116 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: Bb – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
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Questions about What Time Is It
What chords are in What Time Is It?
The loop is F7 – Eb – F7 – Eb (I7 – bVII – I7 – bVII) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is What Time Is It in?
F major, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in What Time Is It?
Dawdling footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is What Time Is It 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.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.