Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Hold On on piano
Written by Phillip Phillips
- F major
- 6/8
- 114 BPM
- 2012
- 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 – F – Bb – Gm
Hold On sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; Gm is G, Bb and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CVFIBbIVGmii- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- GmG · Bb · D
- 2
Left hand: Hammock heartbeat
Long-short, long-short: the low notes sway like a hammock. Musicians call it root bass · 6/8 lilt (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 128 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pirate-stomp chords
Three even chords that cut across the rocking bar, bold like pirates. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 114 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: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF
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Questions about Hold On
What chords are in Hold On?
The loop is C – F – Bb – Gm (V – I – IV – ii) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Hold On in?
F major, at about 114 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Hold On?
Hammock heartbeat: root bass · 6/8 lilt, 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.