Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play If You’re Out There on piano
Artist unknown
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- IV–I–bVII–IV loop
- Medium
Learn If You’re Out There in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Ab – Gb – Db
If You’re Out There sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Gb is Gb, Bb and Db. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbIVAbIGbbVIIDbIV- DbDb · F · Ab
- AbAb · C · Eb
- GbGb · Bb · Db
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pop stabs
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 100 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: Gb – Db – Ab
The last chords are bVII – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbDbAb
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Questions about If You’re Out There
What chords are in If You’re Out There?
The loop is Db – Ab – Gb – Db (IV – I – bVII – IV) in Ab major, and the song ends on Gb – Db – Ab.
What key is If You’re Out There in?
Ab major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in If You’re Out There?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is If You’re Out There 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.