Lean On Me Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Lean On Me in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – Dm7 – Dm7 – C – Em – G7 – Am7
Lean On Me sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: C is C, E and G; Dm7 is D, F, A and C; Em is E, G and B; G7 is G, B, D and F; Am7 is A, C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIDm7ii7Dm7ii7CIEmiiiG7V7Am7vi7
- CC · E · G
- Dm7D · F · A · C
- EmE · G · B
- G7G · B · D · F
- Am7A · C · E · G
12 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Hurrying footsteps
Calm steps in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 642 songs of the library.
Hurrying footstepsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Freeze-tag chords
Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Freeze-tag chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 90 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 – Dm – C
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDmC
- DmD · F · A

What chords are in Lean On Me?

The loop is C – Dm7 – Dm7 – C – Em – G7 – Am7 (I – ii7 – I – iii – V7 – vi7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – Dm – C.

What key is Lean On Me in?

C major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Lean On Me?

Hurrying footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Lean On Me easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Lean On Me?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.