Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky) on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky) in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Fm – Db – Fm – Db
How it goes
How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky) sits in F minor: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Fm is F, Ab and C; Db is Db, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FmiDbVIFmiDbVI
- FmF · Ab · C
- DbDb · F · Ab
54 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Velvet jazz
How it goes
Two soft notes on each beat: the cozy colour of old jazz ballads. Musicians call it lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3) (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Velvet jazzLeft-hand chords · Blues and boogie-woogieLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Late-knock chords
How it goes
One chord, a long wait, then a quick knock-knock at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Late-knock chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 96 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: Db – Eb – Fm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbFm
- EbEb · G · Bb

What chords are in How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky)?

The loop is Fm – Db – Fm – Db (i – bVI – i – bVI) in F minor, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Fm.

What key is How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky) in?

F minor, at about 96 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky)?

Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky) 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.