Holes Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Holes in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: B – E – C#m – B
Holes sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: B is B, D# and F#; E is E, G# and B; C#m is C#, E and G#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BVEIC#mviBV
- BB · D# · F#
- EE · G# · B
- C#mC# · E · G#
17 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Double-step climb
Two beats on the root, two on the next chord note up: simple and steady. Musicians call it broken chord 1-1-3-3 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 284 songs of the library.
Double-step climbBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Double-skip chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
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#m – A – E
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
F#mAE
- F#mF# · A · C#
- AA · C# · E

What chords are in Holes?

The loop is B – E – C#m – B (V – I – vi – V) in E major, and the song ends on F#m – A – E.

What key is Holes in?

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

What does the left hand play in Holes?

Double-step climb: broken chord 1-1-3-3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Holes 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.