Yankee Doodle Boy Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Yankee Doodle Boy in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C7 – F – C7 – F
How it goes
Yankee Doodle Boy sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C7V7FIC7V7FI
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
414 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Ragtime bounce
How it goes
Quick bass-chord-bass-chord: the bouncy left hand of ragtime. Musicians call it boom-chick (2/4) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 137 songs of the library.
Ragtime bounceStride & boom-chick · StrideLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Marching chords
How it goes
Two chords per bar, left-right, like a happy little march. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Marching chordsBlock chords · StrideRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 120 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: F – C7 – F
How it goes
The last chords are I – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FC7F

What chords are in Yankee Doodle Boy?

The loop is C7 – F – C7 – F (V7 – I – V7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on F – C7 – F.

What key is Yankee Doodle Boy in?

F major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/4.

What does the left hand play in Yankee Doodle Boy?

Ragtime bounce: boom-chick (2/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Yankee Doodle Boy 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.