Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream (How Could It Happen To A Dream) on piano
- Db major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1946
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream (How Could It Happen To A Dream) in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Fm – Bb7 – Ebm
How it goes
It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream (How Could It Happen To A Dream) sits in Db major: Db is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Fm is F, Ab and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; Ebm is Eb, Gb and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbIFmiiiBb7VI7Ebmii- DbDb · F · Ab
- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- EbmEb · Gb · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Stride jumps
How it goes
Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps. Musicians call it stride (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in 961 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Gb – Ab – Db
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbAbDb- GbGb · Bb · Db
- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream (How Could It Happen To A Dream)
What chords are in It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream (How Could It Happen To A Dream)?
The loop is Db – Fm – Bb7 – Ebm (I – iii – VI7 – ii) in Db major, and the song ends on Gb – Ab – Db.
What key is It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream (How Could It Happen To A Dream) in?
Db major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream (How Could It Happen To A Dream)?
Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream (How Could It Happen To A Dream) easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.