Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Chess on piano
By Andersson and Ulvaeus
- A minor
- 3/4
- 120 BPM
- 1984
- Medium
Learn Chess in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – Dm – G7 – C
Chess sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; Dm is D, F and A; G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiDmivG7VII7CIII- AmA · C · E
- DmD · F · A
- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Waltz stride
A deep bass, a chord above, then the octave: a leaping waltz. Musicians call it stride (3/4) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 215 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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 – G – Am
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
Play next
Questions about Chess
What chords are in Chess?
The loop is Am – Dm – G7 – C (i – iv – bVII7 – bIII) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is Chess in?
A minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Chess?
Waltz stride: stride (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Chess 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.