Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play You’ve Got To Pick-A-Pocket Or Two on piano
By Lionel Bart
- G minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1959
- Easy
Learn You’ve Got To Pick-A-Pocket Or Two in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab7 – Gm – Dm – Cm
You’ve Got To Pick-A-Pocket Or Two sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb; Gm is G, Bb and D; Dm is D, F and A; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Ab7bII7GmiDmvCmiv- Ab7Ab · C · Eb · Gb
- GmG · Bb · D
- DmD · F · A
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Lazy footsteps
One long low note, then two calm steps to finish the bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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
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Questions about You’ve Got To Pick-A-Pocket Or Two
What chords are in You’ve Got To Pick-A-Pocket Or Two?
The loop is Ab7 – Gm – Dm – Cm (bII7 – i – v – iv) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.
What key is You’ve Got To Pick-A-Pocket Or Two in?
G minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in You’ve Got To Pick-A-Pocket Or Two?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is You’ve Got To Pick-A-Pocket Or Two 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.