The Father’s Song Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn The Father’s Song in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Eb – Ab – Eb – Fm
The Father’s Song sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIAbIVEbIFmii
- EbEb · G · Bb
- AbAb · C · Eb
- FmF · Ab · C
75 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Open sky
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
Open skyOpen arpeggio · BalladLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Soft chords
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Soft chordsBlock chords · BalladRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 90 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
- BbBb · D · F

What chords are in The Father’s Song?

The loop is Eb – Ab – Eb – Fm (I – IV – I – ii) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.

What key is The Father’s Song in?

Eb major, at about 90 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in The Father’s Song?

Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Father’s Song 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.