Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play A Summer Place on piano
By Max Steiner
- Bb major
- 6/8
- 92 BPM
- 1960
- Medium
Learn A Summer Place in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm7 – F7 – Bb – F – Cm7 – F7 – Bb – Gm
A Summer Place sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: Cm7 is C, Eb, G and Bb; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Cm7ii7F7V7BbIFVCm7ii7F7V7BbIGmvi- Cm7C · Eb · G · Bb
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rowing-boat chords
Six even chords per bar, rolling along like oars on water. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 92 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: Cm – Eb – Bb
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CmEbBb- CmC · Eb · G
- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about A Summer Place
What chords are in A Summer Place?
The loop is Cm7 – F7 – Bb – F – Cm7 – F7 – Bb – Gm (ii7 – V7 – I – V – ii7 – V7 – I – vi) in Bb major, and the song ends on Cm – Eb – Bb.
What key is A Summer Place in?
Bb major, at about 92 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in A Summer Place?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is A Summer Place easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of A Summer Place?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.