Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – Am – C – Am
You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIAmviCIAmvi
- CC · E · G
- AmA · C · E
135 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Jazz walk
One note per beat, strolling like a jazz bassist. Musicians call it walking bass (walking bass), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Jazz walkWalking bass · Blues and boogie-woogieLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Double-clap chords
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.
Double-clap chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 85 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: Dm – G – C
The last chords are ii – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DmGC
- DmD · F · A
- GG · B · D

What chords are in You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me?

The loop is C – Am – C – Am (I – vi – I – vi) in C major, and the song ends on Dm – G – C.

What key is You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me in?

C major, at about 85 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me 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.