Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Imagine on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Imagine in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – F – C – F
Imagine sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIFIVCIFIV
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
782 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Groovy roots
Notes jump around the “ands”, giving the bass a funky bounce. Musicians call it root bass · syncopated 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 363 songs of the library.
Groovy rootsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
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.
Steady chordsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 76 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: F – G7 – C
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FG7C
- G7G · B · D · F

What chords are in Imagine?

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

What key is Imagine in?

C major, at about 76 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Imagine?

Groovy roots: root bass · syncopated 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Imagine 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.

Can I hear the real melody of Imagine?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 6 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.