Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play If I Knew on piano
Artist unknown
- Eb major
- 6/8
- 87 BPM
- Medium
Learn If I Knew in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Bb – Ab – Abm
If I Knew sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Abm is Ab, Cb and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIBbVAbIVAbmiv- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- AbAb · C · Eb
- AbmAb · Cb · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Rowing-boat pulse
Six even low notes per bar, rolling along like oars on water. Musicians call it root bass · 6/8 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 240 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hammock chords
Long-short, long-short: soft chords sway like a hammock. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 87 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 – Abm – Eb
The last chords are IV – iv – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbAbmEb
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Questions about If I Knew
What chords are in If I Knew?
The loop is Eb – Bb – Ab – Abm (I – V – IV – iv) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Abm – Eb.
What key is If I Knew in?
Eb major, at about 87 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in If I Knew?
Rowing-boat pulse: root bass · 6/8 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is If I Knew 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.