Once Upon A Time Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Once Upon A Time in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Cm7 – F7 – Bb – Bbmaj7 – Bb – Bbmaj7 – Gm
Once Upon A Time sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: Cm7 is C, Eb, G and Bb; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Bbmaj7 is Bb, D, F and A; Gm is G, Bb and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Cm7ii7F7V7BbIBbmaj7Imaj7BbIBbmaj7Imaj7Gmvi
- Cm7C · Eb · G · Bb
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- Bbmaj7Bb · D · F · A
- GmG · Bb · D
169 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Power fifths
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Power fifthsLeft-hand chords · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Push chords
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Push chordsSyncopated chords · RockRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 110 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: Eb – F – Bb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C

What chords are in Once Upon A Time?

The loop is Cm7 – F7 – Bb – Bbmaj7 – Bb – Bbmaj7 – Gm (ii7 – V7 – I – Imaj7 – I – Imaj7 – vi) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Once Upon A Time in?

Bb major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Once Upon A Time?

Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Once Upon A Time easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Once Upon A Time?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.