Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play How Firm a Foundation on piano
By Early American Melody
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 145 BPM
- I–IV–I7–IV loop
- 2017
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn How Firm a Foundation in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Db – Ab7 – Db
How it goes
How Firm a Foundation sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Db is Db, F and Ab; Ab7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIDbIVAb7I7DbIV- AbAb · C · Eb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- Ab7Ab · C · Eb · Gb
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 145 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 – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about How Firm a Foundation
What chords are in How Firm a Foundation?
The loop is Ab – Db – Ab7 – Db (I – IV – I7 – IV) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is How Firm a Foundation in?
Ab major, at about 145 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in How Firm a Foundation?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is How Firm a Foundation 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.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.