Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play If Ever I Would Leave You on piano
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 135 BPM
- 1960
- Medium
Learn If Ever I Would Leave You in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm7 – F7 – Bb – Eb7 – Dm7 – Dm7 – Gsus4 – G7
If Ever I Would Leave You sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: Cm7 is C, Eb, G and Bb; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db; Dm7 is D, F, A and C; Gsus4 is G, C and D; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Cm7ii7F7V7BbIEb7IV7Dm7iii7Dm7iii7Gsus4VIsus4G7VI7- Cm7C · Eb · G · Bb
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- Dm7D · F · A · C
- Gsus4G · C · D
- G7G · B · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hopscotch chords
Chord, chord, skip beat 3, chord: hopping over a square. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 135 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: Eb – F – Bb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
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Questions about If Ever I Would Leave You
What chords are in If Ever I Would Leave You?
The loop is Cm7 – F7 – Bb – Eb7 – Dm7 – Dm7 – Gsus4 – G7 (ii7 – V7 – I – IV7 – iii7 – VIsus4 – VI7 – ii7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is If Ever I Would Leave You in?
Bb major, at about 135 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in If Ever I Would Leave You?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is If Ever I Would Leave You easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of If Ever I Would Leave You?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.