Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World
Hello! Below you'll find my "What A Wonderful World" chords & lyrics chart as well as a tutorial video on how to play the piano accompaniment.
This classic and powerful by Louis Armstrong has a beautiful chord progression, melody, and lyrics. In the video I teach the arpeggio you hear in the recording, but you can also learn the underlying chords and keep the rhythm as simple as you need.
Enjoy!
What A Wonderful World Piano Tutorial
Here's a piano tutorial video for What A Wonderful World:
What A Wonderful World Chords & Lyrics
[Intro]
F Gm/F Fmaj7 Gm/F
F Gm/F Fmaj7 Gm/F
[Verse 1]
F Am Bb Am
I see trees of green, red roses too
Gm F A7 Dm
I see them bloom, for me and you
Db Gm7
And I think to myself
F Am Bb Am
I see trees of green, red roses too
Gm F A7 Dm
I see them bloom, for me and you
Db Gm7
And I think to myself
C7 F B7-5 Bbmaj7 C7
What a wonderful world.
[Verse 2]
F Am Bb Am
I see skies of blue and clouds of white
Gm F A7 Dm
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night,
Db Gm7
And I think to myself
F Am Bb Am
I see skies of blue and clouds of white
Gm F A7 Dm
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night,
Db Gm7
And I think to myself
C7 F Gm/F Gm/F F
What a wonderful world
[Bridge]
Gm/C C7 Fmaj7/C F6/C
The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Gm/C C7 Fmaj7/C F6/C
Are also on the faces of people goin' by
Dm C/E Dm C/E
I see friends shaking hands, saying, "How do you do?"
Dm F#dim7 Gm7 C7
They're really saying, "I love you."
Gm/C C7 Fmaj7/C F6/C
The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Gm/C C7 Fmaj7/C F6/C
Are also on the faces of people goin' by
Dm C/E Dm C/E
I see friends shaking hands, saying, "How do you do?"
Dm F#dim7 Gm7 C7
They're really saying, "I love you."
[Verse 3]
F Am Bb Am
I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
Gm F A7 Dm
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
Db Gm7 C7 F Eb9 D9
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
D7b9 Gm7 C7b9
Yes I think to myself
F Am Bb Am
I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
Gm F A7 Dm
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
Db Gm7 C7 F Eb9 D9
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
D7b9 Gm7 C7b9
Yes I think to myself
F Bb6 F
What a wonderful world. ohh Yeah!
This document is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It's intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.
This chord chart is here only to support online learning. We recommend buying official transcripts from a licensed and reputable publisher.
What A Wonderful World Piano Tips
1. Take It Slow: It's counterintuitive, but the quickest way to get comfortable and sound great playing a song is to practice it very slowly at first. Steady rhythm and counting are crucial to sounding like a pro, so let yourself get used to feeling the beat at a slow, easy tempo. Once you can nail "What A Wonderful World" slowly, *gradually* speed it up. You'll sound much better than if you jumped in at full speed!
2. Use The Pedal Wisely: Utilize the sustain pedal to connect the chords smoothly, timing your lifts with the arrival of a new chord. For help with sustain pedal timing, check out this video.
3. Simplify if need be: "What A Wonderful World" still sounds great even if you simply hold out the chords and ignore most of the rhythm patterns and extra details in the tutorial video. Feel free to keep it simple, especially if you sing while playing. As you get comfortable, you can always add the fancy stuff later.
