Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Around Here on piano
Written by Dolly Parton
- F major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 2008
- Medium
Learn Around Here in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Bb – F – C
Around Here sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIBbIVFICV- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Island pulse
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. 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: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF
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Questions about Around Here
What chords are in Around Here?
The loop is F – Bb – F – C (I5 – IV5 – I5 – V5) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Around Here in?
F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Around Here?
Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Around Here 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.