Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Forever Young on piano
By Alphaville
- C major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–V–vi–IV loop
- 1984
- Medium
Learn Forever Young in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – G – Am – F
Forever Young sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; G is G, B and D; Am is A, C and E; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIGVAmviFIV- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
- AmA · C · E
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Stair steps
Three notes climb up the chord in the island rhythm. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 438 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rocking thirds
Two neighbouring chord notes rocking back and forth, soft and sweet. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: F – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
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Questions about Forever Young
What chords are in Forever Young?
The loop is C – G – Am – F (I – V – vi – IV) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Forever Young in?
C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Forever Young?
Stair steps: broken chord 1-3-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Forever Young 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.