Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play La Vie Boheme on piano
Artist unknown
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 96 BPM
- 1996
- Medium
Learn La Vie Boheme in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Eb – Fb – Dbm
La Vie Boheme 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; Fb is Fb, Ab and Cb; Dbm is Db, Fb and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIEbVFbbVIDbmiv- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FbFb · Ab · Cb
- DbmDb · Fb · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Walking roots
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 96 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: Db – Eb – Ab
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- DbDb · F · Ab
Play next
Questions about La Vie Boheme
What chords are in La Vie Boheme?
The loop is Ab – Eb – Fb – Dbm (I – V – bVI – iv) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is La Vie Boheme in?
Ab major, at about 96 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in La Vie Boheme?
Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is La Vie Boheme 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.