Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way (NYC) Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way (NYC) in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – A – G – D
How it goes
Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way (NYC) sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIVAIGbVIIDIV
- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- GG · B · D
39 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
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.
Pumping chordsPumping 8ths · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 125 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: A – D – A
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ADA

What chords are in Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way (NYC)?

The loop is D – A – G – D (IV – I – bVII – IV) in A major, and the song ends on A – D – A.

What key is Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way (NYC) in?

A major, at about 125 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way (NYC)?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Wouldn’t Have You Any Other Way (NYC) 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.