Piano chords · Film & wonder
How to play I'll Be Seeing You on piano
By Sammy Fain
- F major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- Tricky
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: A7 – Db – Gm – F – Bb – Am – Gm – Dm7
I'll Be Seeing You sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: A7 is A, C#, E and G; Db is Db, F and Ab; Gm is G, Bb and D; F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; Am is A, C and E; Dm7 is D, F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
A7III7DbbVIGmiiFIBbIVAmiiiGmiiDm7vi7- A7A · C# · E · G
- DbDb · F · Ab
- GmG · Bb · D
- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- AmA · C · E
- Dm7D · F · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Rainbow sweep
Five notes arc up two octaves like a rainbow, then let it ring. Musicians call it wide arpeggio 1-5-8-10-15 (wide arpeggio), a tricky pattern heard in 78 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Push-and-land chords
A push just before beat 3, then two calm landings. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- CC · E · G
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Questions about I'll Be Seeing You
What chords are in I'll Be Seeing You?
The loop is A7 – Db – Gm – F – Bb – Am – Gm – Dm7 (III7 – bVI – ii – I – IV – iii – ii – vi7) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is I'll Be Seeing You in?
F major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in I'll Be Seeing You?
Rainbow sweep: wide arpeggio 1-5-8-10-15, a tricky 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 tricky one: learn the 8 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 main tune 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.