Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play All My Life on piano
By Billy Joel
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- Medium
Learn All My Life in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Am – Gm – Bbm
All My Life sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Am is A, C and E; Bbm is Bb, Db and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmviAmviiGmviBbmi- GmG · Bb · D
- AmA · C · E
- BbmBb · Db · F
- 2
Left hand: Groovy roots
Notes jump around the “ands”, giving the bass a funky bounce. Musicians call it root bass · syncopated 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 363 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: Eb – F – Bb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
Play next
Questions about All My Life
What chords are in All My Life?
The loop is Gm – Am – Gm – Bbm (vi – vii – vi – i) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is All My Life in?
Bb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in All My Life?
Groovy roots: root bass · syncopated 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is All My Life 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 My Life?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.