Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play If I Should Lose You on piano
By Phineas Newborn
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 1935
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn If I Should Lose You in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – D7 – F#dim – Gm
How it goes
If I Should Lose You sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; D7 is D, F#, A and C; F#dim is F#, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviiD7III7F#dimbvi°Gmvi- AmA · C · E
- D7D · F# · A · C
- F#dimF# · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- 2
Left hand: Velvet jazz
How it goes
Two soft notes on each beat: the cozy colour of old jazz ballads. Musicians call it lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3) (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pop stabs
How it goes
Chord stabs in the 3-3-2 pop rhythm. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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 – F – Bb
How it goes
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
- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about If I Should Lose You
What chords are in If I Should Lose You?
The loop is Am – D7 – F#dim – Gm (vii – III7 – bvio – vi) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is If I Should Lose You in?
Bb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in If I Should Lose You?
Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is If I Should Lose You easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.