Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Fallin’ on piano
Written by Marvin Hamlisch
- D major
- 4/4
- 84 BPM
- 1979
- Medium
Learn Fallin’ in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – A7 – G – A – D7 – A7 – G – A7
Fallin’ sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: D is D, F# and A; A7 is A, C#, E and G; G is G, B and D; A is A, C# and E; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIA7V7GIVAVD7I7A7V7GIVA7V7- DD · F# · A
- A7A · C# · E · G
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
- D7D · F# · A · C
- 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: Lub-dub chords
Two quick chords, a pause, two quick chords: just like a heartbeat. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 84 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: G – Gm – D
The last chords are IV – iv – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GGmD- GmG · Bb · D
Play next
Questions about Fallin’
What chords are in Fallin’?
The loop is D – A7 – G – A – D7 – A7 – G – A7 (I – V7 – IV – V – I7 – V7 – IV – V7) in D major, and the song ends on G – Gm – D.
What key is Fallin’ in?
D major, at about 84 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Fallin’?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Fallin’ easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Fallin’?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.