Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play I’m Late on piano
Written by Sammy Fain
- C major
- 2/2
- 140 BPM
- 1949
- Medium
Learn I’m Late in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – C – G7 – C
I’m Late sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; C is C, E and G; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiCIG7V7CI- CmC · Eb · G
- CC · E · G
- G7G · B · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 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 140 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: C – F – C
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CFC- FF · A · C
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Questions about I’m Late
What chords are in I’m Late?
The loop is Cm – C – G7 – C (i – I – V7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – F – C.
What key is I’m Late in?
C major, at about 140 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in I’m Late?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I’m Late 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.