Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play The Chain on piano
- F major
- 6/8
- 120 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Chain in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – C – Dm – Bb
How it goes
The Chain sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G; Dm is D, F and A; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FICVDmviBbIV- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Carousel
How it goes
Boom-chick-chick, boom-chick-chick: round and round like a carousel. Musicians call it waltz 6/8 oom-pah (waltz), a medium pattern heard in 26 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 120 BPM
How it goes
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
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF
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Questions about The Chain
What chords are in The Chain?
The loop is F – C – Dm – Bb (I – V – vi – IV) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is The Chain in?
F major, at about 120 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in The Chain?
Carousel: waltz 6/8 oom-pah, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Chain 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.