Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

How to play How Beautiful upon the Mountain on piano

Written by Tom Paxton

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Stride jumpsRight hand Hopscotch bellsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn How Beautiful upon the Mountain in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: F – Bb – C – F

    How Beautiful upon the Mountain sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    FIBbIVCVFI
    • FF · A · C
    • BbBb · D · F
    • CC · E · G
    215 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Stride jumps

    Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps. Musicians call it stride (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in 961 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Hopscotch bells

    A high bell note, a chord, a skipped beat, and one more chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 120 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. 5

    Ending: Bb – C – F

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    BbCF

Play next

Questions about How Beautiful upon the Mountain

What chords are in How Beautiful upon the Mountain?

The loop is F – Bb – C – F (I – IV – V – I) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is How Beautiful upon the Mountain in?

F major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in How Beautiful upon the Mountain?

Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is How Beautiful upon the Mountain easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

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