Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Yakety Sax on piano
By Boots Randolph
- G major
- 2/2
- 150 BPM
- I–V7–I–IV loop
- 1958
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Yakety Sax in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – D7 – G – C
How it goes
Yakety Sax sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D7 is D, F#, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GID7V7GICIV- GG · B · D
- D7D · F# · A · C
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-clap chords
How it goes
Quick double claps on beats 2 and 4, leaving beats 1 and 3 empty. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 150 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: C – D7 – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CD7G
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Questions about Yakety Sax
What chords are in Yakety Sax?
The loop is G – D7 – G – C (I – V7 – I – IV) in G major, and the song ends on C – D7 – G.
What key is Yakety Sax in?
G major, at about 150 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Yakety Sax?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Yakety Sax 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.