Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Hold On on piano
By Kansas
- C major
- 6/8
- 72 BPM
- Medium
Learn Hold On in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – D – Am – D
Hold On sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; D is D, F# and A; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIDIIAmviDII- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- AmA · C · E
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 72 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
Play next
Questions about Hold On
What chords are in Hold On?
The loop is C – D – Am – D (I – II – vi – II) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Hold On in?
C major, at about 72 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Hold On?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hold On 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.