Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Steal Away on piano
By Robert Dupuis
- A major
- 4/4
- 122 BPM
- Medium
Learn Steal Away in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – A – F#m – Bm
Steal Away sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; A is A, C# and E; F#m is F#, A and C#; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmivAIF#mviBmii- DmD · F · A
- AA · C# · E
- F#mF# · A · C#
- BmB · D · F#
- 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.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 122 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: D – E – A
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
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Questions about Steal Away
What chords are in Steal Away?
The loop is Dm – A – F#m – Bm (iv – I – vi – ii) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is Steal Away in?
A major, at about 122 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Steal Away?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Steal Away 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.