Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Drowning on piano
Artist unknown
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 85 BPM
- Medium
Learn Drowning in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Fsus4 – F – Bb
Drowning sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Fsus4 is F, Bb and C; F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIVFsus4Vsus4FVBbI- EbEb · G · Bb
- Fsus4F · Bb · C
- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 85 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: Fsus4 – F – Bb
The last chords are Vsus – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
Fsus4FBb
Play next
Questions about Drowning
What chords are in Drowning?
The loop is Eb – Fsus4 – F – Bb (IV – Vsus – V – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Fsus4 – F – Bb.
What key is Drowning in?
Bb major, at about 85 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Drowning?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Drowning 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.