Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play Four Brothers on piano

By Jon Hendricks

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Four Brothers in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D7 – Dm – G7 – C
Four Brothers sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D7 is D, F#, A and C; Dm is D, F and A; G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
D7II7DmiiG7V7CI
- D7D · F# · A · C
- DmD · F · A
- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
2
Left hand: Popcorn bounce
A high and a low note popping back and forth on every quick beat. Musicians call it broken chord 5-12 (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 78 songs of the library.
Popcorn bounceBroken chord · BalladLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Eager chords
Jumps in early before beat 3, like the chords can’t wait. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Eager chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 160 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
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D

What chords are in Four Brothers?

The loop is D7 – Dm – G7 – C (II7 – ii – V7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Four Brothers in?

C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Four Brothers?

Popcorn bounce: broken chord 5-12, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Four Brothers 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.