Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play Softly As In A Morning Sunrise on piano
Artist unknown
- C minor
- 2/4
- 75 BPM
- 1928
- Tricky
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Softly As In A Morning Sunrise in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G7 – Cm – Fm – Cm
How it goes
Softly As In A Morning Sunrise sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; 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.
G7V7CmiFmivCmi- G7G · B · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- FmF · Ab · C
- 2
Left hand: Kangaroo leaps
How it goes
Bass, high chord, bass, high chord, fast: the hand leaps like a kangaroo. Musicians call it stride (2/4) (stride & boom-chick), a tricky pattern heard in 107 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Marching chords
How it goes
Two chords per bar, left-right, like a happy little march. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 75 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
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Questions about Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
What chords are in Softly As In A Morning Sunrise?
The loop is G7 – Cm – Fm – Cm (V7 – i – iv – i) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is Softly As In A Morning Sunrise in?
C minor, at about 75 beats a minute in 2/4.
What does the left hand play in Softly As In A Morning Sunrise?
Kangaroo leaps: stride (2/4), a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Softly As In A Morning Sunrise easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.