Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play I Want To Be A Sideman on piano
Written by Dave Frishberg
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1998
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I Want To Be A Sideman in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Adim – Eb7 – Adim
How it goes
I Want To Be A Sideman sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Adim is A, C and Eb; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIVAdim#iv°Eb7I7Adim#iv°- AbAb · C · Eb
- AdimA · C · Eb
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- 2
Left hand: Bobbing boat
How it goes
High, higher, then a dive to the bottom and back: a bobbing boat. Musicians call it open arpeggio 8-12-1-8 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 141 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about I Want To Be A Sideman
What chords are in I Want To Be A Sideman?
The loop is Ab – Adim – Eb7 – Adim (IV – #ivo – I7 – #ivo) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is I Want To Be A Sideman in?
Eb major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I Want To Be A Sideman?
Bobbing boat: open arpeggio 8-12-1-8, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Want To Be A Sideman 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.