Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Ice Box on piano
Artist unknown
- C minor
- 2/2
- 130 BPM
- bVI–bVII–i–bVI loop
- Medium
Learn Ice Box in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Bb – Cm – Ab
Ice Box sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbVIBbVIICmiAbVI- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Sneaky heartbeat
One strong note, then two sneaky ones hiding between the beats. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2& · 4& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 436 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 130 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: Ab – Bb – Cm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm
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Questions about Ice Box
What chords are in Ice Box?
The loop is Ab – Bb – Cm – Ab (bVI – bVII – i – bVI) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is Ice Box in?
C minor, at about 130 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Ice Box?
Sneaky heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2& · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ice Box 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.