Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play When Your Lover Has Gone on piano
By E.A. Swan
- G minor
- 2/2
- 110 BPM
- 1931
- Easy
Learn When Your Lover Has Gone in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – G7 – G – Gm
When Your Lover Has Gone sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; G7 is G, B, D and F; Gm is G, Bb and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIG7I7GIGmi- GG · B · D
- G7G · B · D · F
- GmG · Bb · D
- 2
Left hand: Oom-pah
A bass note, then three soft chords: oom, pah, pah, pah. Musicians call it bass + chords (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hopscotch chords
Chord, chord, skip beat 3, chord: hopping over a square. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 110 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: Eb – F – Gm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFGm- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
Play next
Questions about When Your Lover Has Gone
What chords are in When Your Lover Has Gone?
The loop is G – G7 – G – Gm (I – I7 – I – i) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.
What key is When Your Lover Has Gone in?
G minor, at about 110 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in When Your Lover Has Gone?
Oom-pah: bass + chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is When Your Lover Has Gone 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.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.