Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Final Countdown on piano

Written by Joey Tempest

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Final Countdown in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – Bm – E – E#dim – F#m – E
Final Countdown sits in F# minor: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; E is E, G# and B; E#dim is E#, G# and B; F#m is F#, A and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DVIBmivEVIIE#dimvii°F#miEVII
- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- EE · G# · B
- E#dimE# · G# · B
- F#mF# · A · C#
2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Push chords
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Push chordsSyncopated chords · RockRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 116 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: D – E – F#m
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEF#m

What chords are in Final Countdown?

The loop is D – Bm – E – E#dim – F#m – E (VI – iv – VII – vii° – i – VII) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.

What key is Final Countdown in?

F# minor, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Final Countdown?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Final Countdown easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Final Countdown?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.