Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Old Faces on piano
By Laura Doggett
- E minor
- 4/4
- 75 BPM
- i–bVI–bIII–bVII loop
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Old Faces in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – C – G – D
Old Faces sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; C is C, E and G; G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiCVIGIIIDVII- EmE · G · B
- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 75 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 – Em
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm
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Questions about Old Faces
What chords are in Old Faces?
The loop is Em – C – G – D (i – bVI – bIII – bVII) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Old Faces in?
E minor, at about 75 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Old Faces?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Old Faces 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.