Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play I Surrender on piano
Written by Matt Crocker
- F major
- 6/8
- 78 BPM
- 2012
- Medium
Learn I Surrender in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Gm – Dm – C
I Surrender sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Gm is G, Bb and D; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CVGmiiDmviCV- CC · E · G
- GmG · Bb · D
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rowing-boat chords
Six even chords per bar, rolling along like oars on water. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 78 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
Ending: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
Play next
Questions about I Surrender
What chords are in I Surrender?
The loop is C – Gm – Dm – C (V – ii – vi – V) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is I Surrender in?
F major, at about 78 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in I Surrender?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Surrender 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.