Piano chords · Old-time stride

How to play Start A Fire on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Start A Fire in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: B – C#m – B – C#m
Start A Fire sits in C# minor: C# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: B is B, D# and F#; C#m is C#, E and G#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BVIIC#miBVIIC#mi
- BB · D# · F#
- C#mC# · E · G#
28 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Stride jumps
Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps. Musicians call it stride (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in 961 songs of the library.
Stride jumpsStride & boom-chick · StrideLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Marching chords
Two chords per bar, left-right, like a happy little march. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Marching chordsBlock chords · StrideRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 116 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: A – B – C#m
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABC#m
- AA · C# · E

What chords are in Start A Fire?

The loop is B – C#m – B – C#m (bVII – i – bVII – i) in C# minor, and the song ends on A – B – C#m.

What key is Start A Fire in?

C# minor, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Start A Fire?

Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Start A Fire easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.