Long Hot Summer Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Long Hot Summer in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Ab – Eb – Bb – Cm
How it goes
Long Hot Summer sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIVEbIBbVCmvi
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
141 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Running-late chords
How it goes
Misses beat 1, then hurries in with busy chords around the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Running-late chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 126 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb

What chords are in Long Hot Summer?

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

What key is Long Hot Summer in?

Eb major, at about 126 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Long Hot Summer?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Long Hot Summer 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.