Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Hold On To The Nights on piano
By Richard Marx
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 1987
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Hold On To The Nights in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Fm – Ab – Bb
How it goes
Hold On To The Nights sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Fm is F, Ab and C; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmviFmiiAbIVBbV- CmC · Eb · G
- FmF · Ab · C
- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Giant steps
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, low and heavy, like a giant walking. Musicians call it lh chords (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 90 BPM
How it goes
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: Ab – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Hold On To The Nights
What chords are in Hold On To The Nights?
The loop is Cm – Fm – Ab – Bb (vi – ii – IV – V) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Hold On To The Nights in?
Eb major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Hold On To The Nights?
Giant steps: lh chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hold On To The Nights 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.
Can I hear the real melody of Hold On To The Nights?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the opening of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.