Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play All Around Me on piano
Written by Sameer Bhattacharya, Jared Hartmann & others
- E minor
- 4/4
- 108 BPM
- 2006
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn All Around Me in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Em – G – C
How it goes
All Around Me sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Em is E, G and B; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CVIEmiGIIICVI- CC · E · G
- EmE · G · B
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Seesaw bass
How it goes
Low, higher, low, higher on every beat: a steady seesaw. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-1-5 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 481 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Twinkle
How it goes
Two notes twinkling back and forth. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 108 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: C – D – Em
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- DD · F# · A
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Questions about All Around Me
What chords are in All Around Me?
The loop is C – Em – G – C (bVI – i – bIII – bVI) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is All Around Me in?
E minor, at about 108 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in All Around Me?
Seesaw bass: root–fifth 1-5-1-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is All Around Me 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.