Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play New Hope Blues on piano
- C major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 1972
- Medium
Learn New Hope Blues in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Fm – C – G – C
New Hope Blues sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Fm is F, Ab and C; C is C, E and G; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FmivCIGVCI- FmF · Ab · C
- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Stride jumps
Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps. Musicians call it stride (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in 961 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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 – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
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Questions about New Hope Blues
What chords are in New Hope Blues?
The loop is Fm – C – G – C (iv – I – V – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is New Hope Blues in?
C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in New Hope Blues?
Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is New Hope Blues 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.