Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Long As I Live on piano
By John Michael Montgomery
- G major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- I–vi–iii–IV loop
- 1995
- Medium
Learn Long As I Live in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – Em – Bm – C
Long As I Live sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Em is E, G and B; Bm is B, D and F#; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIEmviBmiiiCIV- GG · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- BmB · D · F#
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Breaking wave
Four notes roll up quickly to a bright high top, then let it ring. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 162 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Bouncy-ball chords
One chord, then chords bouncing on every “and”, like a ball. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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 – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- DD · F# · A
Play next
Questions about Long As I Live
What chords are in Long As I Live?
The loop is G – Em – Bm – C (I – vi – iii – IV) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Long As I Live in?
G major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Long As I Live?
Breaking wave: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Long As I Live 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.