Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Jack’s Lament on piano
Artist unknown
- Bb minor
- 4/4
- 72 BPM
- Medium
Learn Jack’s Lament in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ebm – Bb7 – Ebm – Bb7
Jack’s Lament sits in Bb minor: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ebm is Eb, Gb and Bb; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbmivBb7I7EbmivBb7I7- EbmEb · Gb · Bb
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Pausing footsteps
Three even steps, then a quiet beat to breathe. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Glass bells
A chord, then two clear notes ringing back and forth like glass bells. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 72 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: Gb – Ab – Bbm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbAbBbm- GbGb · Bb · Db
- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbmBb · Db · F
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Questions about Jack’s Lament
What chords are in Jack’s Lament?
The loop is Ebm – Bb7 – Ebm – Bb7 (iv – I7 – iv – I7) in Bb minor, and the song ends on Gb – Ab – Bbm.
What key is Jack’s Lament in?
Bb minor, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Jack’s Lament?
Pausing footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Jack’s Lament 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.