Piano chords · Film & wonder
How to play It’s Impossible on piano
By Armando Manzanero
- C major
- 4/4
- 84 BPM
- 1968
- Tricky
Learn It’s Impossible in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Fm – C – A7 – Dm
It’s Impossible sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Fm is F, Ab and C; C is C, E and G; A7 is A, C#, E and G; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FmivCIA7VI7Dmii- FmF · Ab · C
- CC · E · G
- A7A · C# · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Rainbow sweep
Five notes arc up two octaves like a rainbow, then let it ring. Musicians call it wide arpeggio 1-5-8-10-15 (wide arpeggio), a tricky pattern heard in 78 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 84 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 – Fm – C
The last chords are I – iv – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CFmC
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Questions about It’s Impossible
What chords are in It’s Impossible?
The loop is Fm – C – A7 – Dm (iv – I – VI7 – ii) in C major, and the song ends on C – Fm – C.
What key is It’s Impossible in?
C major, at about 84 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in It’s Impossible?
Rainbow sweep: wide arpeggio 1-5-8-10-15, a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is It’s Impossible easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.