Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play For The First Time on piano
Written by Mark Sheehan & Daniel O’Donoghue
- A major
- 4/4
- 88 BPM
- 2010
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn For The First Time in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F#m – Dsus4 – A – Esus4
How it goes
For The First Time sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F#m is F#, A and C#; Dsus4 is D, G and A; A is A, C# and E; Esus4 is E, A and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F#mviDsus4IVsus4AIEsus4Vsus4- F#mF# · A · C#
- Dsus4D · G · A
- AA · C# · E
- Esus4E · A · B
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-clap chords
How it goes
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.
- 4
Both hands at 88 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: D – E7 – A
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DE7A- DD · F# · A
- E7E · G# · B · D
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Questions about For The First Time
What chords are in For The First Time?
The loop is F#m – Dsus4 – A – Esus4 (vi – IVsus – I – Vsus) in A major, and the song ends on D – E7 – A.
What key is For The First Time in?
A major, at about 88 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in For The First Time?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is For The First Time 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.