By The Fireside Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn By The Fireside in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – G – A – D
By The Fireside sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGIVAVDI
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
215 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Spinning-top pulse
Six even low notes in a three-beat bar, spinning round and round. Musicians call it root bass · 3/4 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 87 songs of the library.
Spinning-top pulseRoot bass rhythm · WaltzLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Spinning-top chords
Six even chords in a three-beat bar, spinning round and round. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Spinning-top chordsSyncopated chords · WaltzRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 90 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: G – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD

What chords are in By The Fireside?

The loop is D – G – A – D (I – IV – V – I) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is By The Fireside in?

D major, at about 90 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in By The Fireside?

Spinning-top pulse: root bass · 3/4 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is By The Fireside 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.