Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Back In The Saddle on piano
Written by Steven Tyler & Joe Perry
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- 1977
- Medium
Learn Back In The Saddle in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Db – Ab – Db
Back In The Saddle sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Db is Db, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIDbIVAbIDbIV- AbAb · C · Eb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Gospel-clap chords
Skips beat 1, then soulful chords that bounce off the “ands”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Db – Eb – Ab
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Back In The Saddle
What chords are in Back In The Saddle?
The loop is Ab – Db – Ab – Db (I – IV – I – IV) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Back In The Saddle in?
Ab major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Back In The Saddle?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Back In The Saddle 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.