Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
How to play Memory on piano
- Bb major
- 12/8
- 87 BPM
- 1981
- Medium
Learn Memory in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Eb – F – Dm – Cm7
Memory sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; F is F, A and C; Dm is D, F and A; Cm7 is C, Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmviEbIVFVDmiiiCm7ii7- GmG · Bb · D
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- DmD · F · A
- Cm7C · Eb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Jukebox leaps
Bass, chord, bass, chord in a slow, swaying 1950s groove. Musicians call it stride (12/8) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 22 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Slow-dance chords
Four slow chords per bar under a swaying fifties ballad. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 87 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: F – Eb – Bb
The last chords are V – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FEbBb- BbBb · D · F
Play next
Questions about Memory
What chords are in Memory?
The loop is Gm – Eb – F – Dm – Cm7 (vi – IV – V – iii – ii7) in Bb major, and the song ends on F – Eb – Bb.
What key is Memory in?
Bb major, at about 87 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in Memory?
Jukebox leaps: stride (12/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Memory easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Memory?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.