Joy Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Joy in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Ab – Eb – Fm – Ab
Joy sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIEbVFmviAbI
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FmF · Ab · C
58 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Lullaby ripple
Up to the top and rocking there in quick notes: a lullaby in three. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5-8-5 (3/4) (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 92 songs of the library.
Lullaby rippleBroken chord · WaltzLeft handMedium
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 135 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: Fm – Eb – Ab
The last chords are vi – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FmEbAb

What chords are in Joy?

The loop is Ab – Eb – Fm – Ab (I – V – vi – I) in Ab major, and the song ends on Fm – Eb – Ab.

What key is Joy in?

Ab major, at about 135 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Joy?

Lullaby ripple: broken chord 1-5-8-5-8-5 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Joy 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.