Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Dear Old Donegal on piano
Written by Steve Graham
- Eb major
- 6/8
- 158 BPM
- 1942
- Medium
Learn Dear Old Donegal in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Ab – Cdim – Eb
Dear Old Donegal sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Cdim is C, Eb and Gb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIAbIVCdimvi°EbI- EbEb · G · Bb
- AbAb · C · Eb
- CdimC · Eb · Gb
- 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 158 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- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
Questions about Dear Old Donegal
What chords are in Dear Old Donegal?
The loop is Eb – Ab – Cdim – Eb (I – IV – vio – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Bb7 – Eb.
What key is Dear Old Donegal in?
Eb major, at about 158 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Dear Old Donegal?
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 Dear Old Donegal 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.