Soldier Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Soldier in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Gm – Eb – Bb – F
Soldier sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmiEbVIBbIIIFVII
- GmG · Bb · D
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
54 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: Deep-breath chords
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Deep-breath chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 100 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 – Gm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFGm

What chords are in Soldier?

The loop is Gm – Eb – Bb – F (i – bVI – bIII – bVII) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.

What key is Soldier in?

G minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Soldier?

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

Is Soldier 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.