Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play Love Is Sweeping The Country on piano
Written by George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin
- Eb major
- 2/4
- 100 BPM
- 1931
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Love Is Sweeping The Country in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bbdim – Bb7 – Bbdim – Bb7
How it goes
Love Is Sweeping The Country sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bbdim is Bb, Db and Fb; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Bbdimv°Bb7V7Bbdimv°Bb7V7- BbdimBb · Db · Fb
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Toy-soldier march
How it goes
A bright two-note chord, then the low root: a toy soldier’s left-right. Musicians call it lh triads (2/4) (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in 205 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Polka-hop chords
How it goes
Chords only on the “ands” in a quick two-beat bar: the “pah” of a polka. 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: 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- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Love Is Sweeping The Country
What chords are in Love Is Sweeping The Country?
The loop is Bbdim – Bb7 – Bbdim – Bb7 (vo – V7 – vo – V7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Love Is Sweeping The Country in?
Eb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/4.
What does the left hand play in Love Is Sweeping The Country?
Toy-soldier march: lh triads (2/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Love Is Sweeping The Country 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.