Sometimes Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Sometimes in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Gm – F – Gm – F
Sometimes sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmiiFIGmiiFI
- GmG · Bb · D
- FF · A · C
52 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Open sky
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
Open skyOpen arpeggio · BalladLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Eager chords
Jumps in early before beat 3, like the chords can’t wait. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Eager chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
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: F – Gm – F
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGmF

What chords are in Sometimes?

The loop is Gm – F – Gm – F (ii – I – ii – I) in F major, and the song ends on F – Gm – F.

What key is Sometimes in?

F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Sometimes?

Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Sometimes 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.