Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
How to play Donna on piano
Artist unknown
- F major
- 12/8
- 111 BPM
- I–IV–V7–I loop
- 1958
- Medium
Learn Donna in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Bb – C7 – F
Donna sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIBbIVC7V7FI- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Slow-dance heartbeat
Four slow, deep beats under a swaying fifties ballad. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 134 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Doo-wop chords
Three soft chords on every slow beat: the classic 1950s ballad sound. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 111 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: Bb – C7 – F
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbC7F
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Questions about Donna
What chords are in Donna?
The loop is F – Bb – C7 – F (I – IV – V7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C7 – F.
What key is Donna in?
F major, at about 111 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in Donna?
Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Donna 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.