Empty Handed Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Empty Handed in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Eb – Bb – F – Gm
Empty Handed sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIVBbIFVGmvi
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
141 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Hiccup heartbeat
A tiny hiccup just before beat 3, then a push on the “and”. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 121 songs of the library.
Hiccup heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pumping chordsPumping 8ths · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 90 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: Gm – Eb – Bb
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GmEbBb

What chords are in Empty Handed?

The loop is Eb – Bb – F – Gm (IV – I – V – vi) in Bb major, and the song ends on Gm – Eb – Bb.

What key is Empty Handed in?

Bb major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Empty Handed?

Hiccup heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Empty Handed 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.