Overture (from 'whiplash') Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Overture (from 'whiplash') in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Cm – Fm – Cm – Fm
How it goes
Overture (from 'whiplash') sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiFmivCmiFmiv
- CmC · Eb · G
- FmF · Ab · C
68 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Spinning-top pulse
How it goes
Six even low notes in a three-beat bar, spinning round and round. Musicians call it root bass · 3/4 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 87 songs of the library.
Spinning-top pulseRoot bass rhythm · WaltzLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Waltzing clock
How it goes
One note ticking six times per waltz bar, light and even. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Waltzing clockRepeated-note pulse · WaltzRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 140 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 – Cm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm
- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F

What chords are in Overture (from 'whiplash')?

The loop is Cm – Fm – Cm – Fm (i – iv – i – iv) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.

What key is Overture (from 'whiplash') in?

C minor, at about 140 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in Overture (from 'whiplash')?

Spinning-top pulse: root bass · 3/4 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Overture (from 'whiplash') 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.