Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play I’ll Be Seeing You on piano
By Irving Kahal
- Eb major
- 2/2
- 100 BPM
- 1938
- Medium
Learn I’ll Be Seeing You in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Fm – C7 – Fm – Fm – C7 – Fm – Bb7
I’ll Be Seeing You sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: Fm is F, Ab and C; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FmiiC7VI7FmiiFmiiC7VI7FmiiBb7V7- FmF · Ab · C
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Bobbing boat
High, higher, then a dive to the bottom and back: a bobbing boat. Musicians call it open arpeggio 8-12-1-8 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 141 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. 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: Eb – Fm – Eb
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFmEb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about I’ll Be Seeing You
What chords are in I’ll Be Seeing You?
The loop is Fm – C7 – Fm – Fm – C7 – Fm – Bb7 (ii – VI7 – ii – VI7 – ii – V7 – ii) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Fm – Eb.
What key is I’ll Be Seeing You in?
Eb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in I’ll Be Seeing You?
Bobbing boat: open arpeggio 8-12-1-8, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I’ll Be Seeing You easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of I’ll Be Seeing You?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part 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.