Dancing Through Life Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Dancing Through Life in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Db – Eb – Cm – Fm
Dancing Through Life sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Cm is C, Eb and G; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbIVEbVCmiiiFmvi
- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- CmC · Eb · G
- FmF · Ab · C
23 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Open sky
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
Open skyOpen arpeggio · BalladLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Woodblock taps
Starting off the beat, the top note taps away, then drops at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Woodblock tapsTwo-note ostinato · BalladRight handMedium
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
- AbAb · C · Eb

What chords are in Dancing Through Life?

The loop is Db – Eb – Cm – Fm (IV – V – iii – vi) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.

What key is Dancing Through Life in?

Ab major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Dancing Through Life?

Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Dancing Through Life 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.