The First Time Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn The First Time in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Eb – Ab – Eb – Ab
The First Time 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. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIAbIVEbIAbIV
- EbEb · G · Bb
- AbAb · C · Eb
782 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Pop seesaw
Two low notes, long then short, then a step up on beat 3. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-1-5 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 294 songs of the library.
Pop seesawRoot–fifth bass · Bossa novaLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Gear-shift chords
Quick even chords that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Gear-shift chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 95 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: Eb – Ab – Eb
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbAbEb

What chords are in The First Time?

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

What key is The First Time in?

Eb major, at about 95 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The First Time?

Pop seesaw: root–fifth 1-1-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The First Time 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.