Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Home Sweet Home on piano

By John Howard Payne

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Home Sweet Home in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – Em – C7 – F
How it goes
Home Sweet Home sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Em is E, G and B; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIEmiiiC7I7FIV
- CC · E · G
- EmE · G · B
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Steady chordsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 100 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
- GG · B · D

What chords are in Home Sweet Home?

The loop is C – Em – C7 – F (I – iii – I7 – IV) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Home Sweet Home in?

C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Home Sweet Home?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Home Sweet Home 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 Home Sweet Home?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.