Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play Summer Wind on piano
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1965
- Medium
Learn Summer Wind in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Fm – Bb7 – Fm – Bbsus4
Summer Wind sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Fm is F, Ab and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; Bbsus4 is Bb, Eb and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FmiiBb7V7FmiiBbsus4Vsus4- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- Bbsus4Bb · Eb · F
- 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.
- 3
Right hand: Slow-down chords
Quick chords rush through the first half, then slow down to land on 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
Play next
Questions about Summer Wind
What chords are in Summer Wind?
The loop is Fm – Bb7 – Fm – Bbsus4 (ii – V7 – ii – Vsus) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Summer Wind in?
Eb major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Summer Wind?
Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Summer Wind 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 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.