In My Own Lifetime Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn In My Own Lifetime 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
How it goes
In My Own Lifetime 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: Waltzing river
How it goes
Flows up five notes with a little step near the top, in three. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-9-10 (3/4) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 82 songs of the library.
Waltzing riverOpen arpeggio · WaltzLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Swaying waltz chords
How it goes
Two waltz chords, then a late top note after beat 3 that leans forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Swaying waltz chordsSyncopated chords · WaltzRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 112 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
- GG · B · D

What chords are in In My Own Lifetime?

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

What key is In My Own Lifetime in?

C major, at about 112 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in In My Own Lifetime?

Waltzing river: open arpeggio 1-5-8-9-10 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is In My Own Lifetime 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.