Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Dan O'Hara on piano
By Delia Murphy
- Eb major
- 6/8
- 105 BPM
- I–ii–V7–I loop
- 1950
- Medium
Learn Dan O'Hara in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Fm – Bb7 – Eb
Dan O'Hara sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Fm is F, Ab and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIFmiiBb7V7EbI- EbEb · G · Bb
- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hammock chords
Long-short, long-short: soft chords sway like a hammock. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 105 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 – Bb7 – Eb
The last chords are I – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbBb7Eb
Play next
Questions about Dan O'Hara
What chords are in Dan O'Hara?
The loop is Eb – Fm – Bb7 – Eb (I – ii – V7 – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Bb7 – Eb.
What key is Dan O'Hara in?
Eb major, at about 105 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Dan O'Hara?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Dan O'Hara 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.