Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Let’s Hang On on piano
Written by Bob Crewe, Denny Randell & others
- Ab major
- 2/2
- 100 BPM
- IV–I–IV–I loop
- 1965
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Let’s Hang On in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Ab – Db – Ab
How it goes
Let’s Hang On sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbIVAbIDbIVAbI- DbDb · F · Ab
- AbAb · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Groovy roots
How it goes
Notes jump around the “ands”, giving the bass a funky bounce. Musicians call it root bass · syncopated 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 363 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rocking thirds
How it goes
Two neighbouring chord notes rocking back and forth, soft and sweet. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 BPM
How it goes
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
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- EbEb · G · Bb
Play next
Questions about Let’s Hang On
What chords are in Let’s Hang On?
The loop is Db – Ab – Db – Ab (IV – I – IV – I) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Let’s Hang On in?
Ab major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Let’s Hang On?
Groovy roots: root bass · syncopated 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Let’s Hang On 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.