Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Fame on piano
Written by Michael Gore
- F minor
- 4/4
- 132 BPM
- 1980
- Medium
Learn Fame in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Eb – C7 – Fm
Fame sits in F minor: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbVIEbVIIC7V7Fmi- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FmF · Ab · C
- 2
Left hand: Walking roots
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Running-late chords
Misses beat 1, then hurries in with busy chords around the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 132 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: Db – Eb – Fm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbFm
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Questions about Fame
What chords are in Fame?
The loop is Db – Eb – C7 – Fm (bVI – bVII – V7 – i) in F minor, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Fm.
What key is Fame in?
F minor, at about 132 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Fame?
Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Fame 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.