Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play All I Ask on piano
By Adele
- E major
- 4/4
- 142 BPM
- 2015
- Medium
Learn All I Ask in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – E – C#7 – C#7
All I Ask sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; C#7 is C#, E#, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIEIC#7VI7C#7VI7- EE · G# · B
- C#7C# · E# · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Busy rocking
A low root, then quick notes rocking between two higher keys. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5 (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 200 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Raindrop bounce
From a high note down, then bouncing in the middle: raindrops on a pond. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 142 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: F#m – A – E
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
F#mAE- F#mF# · A · C#
- AA · C# · E
Play next
Questions about All I Ask
What chords are in All I Ask?
The loop is E – E – C#7 – C#7 (I – VI7 – I – VI7) in E major, and the song ends on F#m – A – E.
What key is All I Ask in?
E major, at about 142 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in All I Ask?
Busy rocking: broken chord 1-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is All I Ask 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.
Can I hear the real melody of All I Ask?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.