(I’ll Build A) Stairway To Paradise Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn (I’ll Build A) Stairway To Paradise in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: G7 – C – G7 – C
How it goes
(I’ll Build A) Stairway To Paradise sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7V7CIG7V7CI
- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
414 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Power fifthsLeft-hand chords · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Steady chordsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 130 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D

What chords are in (I’ll Build A) Stairway To Paradise?

The loop is G7 – C – G7 – C (V7 – I – V7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is (I’ll Build A) Stairway To Paradise in?

C major, at about 130 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in (I’ll Build A) Stairway To Paradise?

Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is (I’ll Build A) Stairway To Paradise 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.