Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Somebody To Love on piano
By Queen
- Ab major
- 6/8
- 100 BPM
- 1976
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Somebody To Love in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Eb – Ab7 – Db – Fm7 – Cm7 – Ab
How it goes
Somebody To Love sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Ab7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb; Db is Db, F and Ab; Fm7 is F, Ab, C and Eb; Cm7 is C, Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIEbVAb7I7DbIVFm7vi7Cm7iii7AbI- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- Ab7Ab · C · Eb · Gb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- Fm7F · Ab · C · Eb
- Cm7C · Eb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Rowing-boat pulse
How it goes
Six even low notes per bar, rolling along like oars on water. Musicians call it root bass · 6/8 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 240 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Cradle chords
How it goes
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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 – Fm – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are I – vi – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbFmAb- FmF · Ab · C
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Questions about Somebody To Love
What chords are in Somebody To Love?
The loop is Ab – Eb – Ab7 – Db – Fm7 – Cm7 – Ab (I – V – I7 – IV – vi7 – iii7 – I) in Ab major, and the song ends on Ab – Fm – Ab.
What key is Somebody To Love in?
Ab major, at about 100 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Somebody To Love?
Rowing-boat pulse: root bass · 6/8 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Somebody To Love 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 Somebody To Love?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.