Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play All By Myself on piano

By Irving Berlin

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 138 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Velvet jazzRight hand Wait-a-beat chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn All By Myself in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

  1. 1

    Chords: C – B – C – B

    All By Myself sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    CIBVIICIBVII
    • CC · E · G
    • BB · D# · F#
  2. 2

    Left hand: Velvet jazz

    Two soft notes on each beat: the cozy colour of old jazz ballads. Musicians call it lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3) (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Wait-a-beat chords

    Silence on beat 1, then chords on 2, 3 and 4, leaving room for the bass. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 138 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. 5

    Ending: F – G – C

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    FGC
    • FF · A · C
    • GG · B · D

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Questions about All By Myself

What chords are in All By Myself?

The loop is C – B – C – B (I – VII – I – VII) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is All By Myself in?

C major, at about 138 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in All By Myself?

Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is All By Myself easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.