Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Don’t Hold The Wall on piano
Written by Justin Timberlake, James Fauntleoy & others
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- vi–ii–vi–ii loop
- 2013
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Don’t Hold The Wall in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Fm – Bbm – Fm – Bbm
How it goes
Don’t Hold The Wall sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Fm is F, Ab and C; Bbm is Bb, Db and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FmviBbmiiFmviBbmii- FmF · Ab · C
- BbmBb · Db · F
- 2
Left hand: Fluttering heartbeat
How it goes
A quick flutter before beat 2, then a push before beat 3. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 152 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hopscotch chords
How it goes
Chord, chord, skip beat 3, chord: hopping over a square. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 BPM
How it goes
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
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- AbAb · C · Eb
Play next
Questions about Don’t Hold The Wall
What chords are in Don’t Hold The Wall?
The loop is Fm – Bbm – Fm – Bbm (vi – ii – vi – ii) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Don’t Hold The Wall in?
Ab major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Don’t Hold The Wall?
Fluttering heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Don’t Hold The Wall 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.