Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play The Revolution Starts... Now on piano
Written by Steve Earle
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 150 BPM
- 2004
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Revolution Starts... Now in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Fm – Ab – Bb
How it goes
The Revolution Starts... Now sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Fm is F, Ab and C; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIFmvAbbVIIBbI- BbBb · D · F
- FmF · Ab · C
- AbAb · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
How it goes
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
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 150 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: Eb – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
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Questions about The Revolution Starts... Now
What chords are in The Revolution Starts... Now?
The loop is Bb – Fm – Ab – Bb (I – v – bVII – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is The Revolution Starts... Now in?
Bb major, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Revolution Starts... Now?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Revolution Starts... Now 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.