Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play If I Had A Hammer on piano
Written by Lee Hays & Pete Seeger
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 110 BPM
- 1958
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn If I Had A Hammer in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Fm – Eb – Bb7
How it goes
If I Had A Hammer sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Fm is F, Ab and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIFmiiEbIBb7V7- EbEb · G · Bb
- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Freeze-tag chords
How it goes
Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 110 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: Eb – Bb7 – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are I – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbBb7Eb
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Questions about If I Had A Hammer
What chords are in If I Had A Hammer?
The loop is Eb – Fm – Eb – Bb7 (I – ii – I – V7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Bb7 – Eb.
What key is If I Had A Hammer in?
Eb major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in If I Had A Hammer?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is If I Had A Hammer 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.