Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Sparks Fly on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn Sparks Fly in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Dm – Bb – F – C
Sparks Fly sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; Bb is Bb, D and F; 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.
DmviBbIVFICV
- DmD · F · A
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
176 songs go round the same chords
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.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Run-up chords
Four steady chords plus a quick extra one leading into the next bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Run-up chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 120 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: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF

What chords are in Sparks Fly?

The loop is Dm – Bb – F – C (vi – IV – I – V) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Sparks Fly in?

F major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Sparks Fly?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Sparks Fly 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.