Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play I Can Hear The Bells on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn I Can Hear The Bells in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: F – F – C – Dm – Dm – C
How it goes
I Can Hear The Bells sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIFICVDmviDmviCV
- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
121 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
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: Bb – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF
- BbBb · D · F

What chords are in I Can Hear The Bells?

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

What key is I Can Hear The Bells in?

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

What does the left hand play in I Can Hear The Bells?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is I Can Hear The Bells easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of I Can Hear The Bells?

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

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.