Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Calling Occupants on piano
Written by John Woloschuk & Terry Draper
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- I–V–IV–I loop
- 1976
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Calling Occupants in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Eb – Db – Ab
How it goes
Calling Occupants sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Db is Db, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIEbVDbIVAbI- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Ping-pong bounce
How it goes
High, low, high, low on every beat: a ping-pong bounce. Musicians call it broken chord 8-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 302 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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: Db – Eb – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb
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Questions about Calling Occupants
What chords are in Calling Occupants?
The loop is Ab – Eb – Db – Ab (I – V – IV – I) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Calling Occupants in?
Ab major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Calling Occupants?
Ping-pong bounce: broken chord 8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Calling Occupants 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.