Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Shepherd Boy on piano
By Chris Tomlin
- C major
- 4/4
- 70 BPM
- IV–I–IV–I loop
- 2012
- Medium
Learn Shepherd Boy in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – C – F – C
Shepherd Boy sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIVCIFIVCI- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 70 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 – F – C
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CFC
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Questions about Shepherd Boy
What chords are in Shepherd Boy?
The loop is F – C – F – C (IV – I – IV – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – F – C.
What key is Shepherd Boy in?
C major, at about 70 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Shepherd Boy?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Shepherd Boy 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.