Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play The Sweetest Sounds on piano
- F major
- 2/2
- 100 BPM
- 1962
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Sweetest Sounds in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A7 – Dm – Gm – E7
How it goes
The Sweetest Sounds sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A7 is A, C#, E and G; Dm is D, F and A; Gm is G, Bb and D; E7 is E, G#, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
A7III7DmviGmiiE7VII7- A7A · C# · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- GmG · Bb · D
- E7E · G# · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Toy-soldier march
How it goes
A bright two-note chord, then the low root: a toy soldier’s left-right. Musicians call it lh triads (2/4) (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in 205 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Sleigh bells
How it goes
A high note and two quick chords in a short bar, jingling along. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
Play next
Questions about The Sweetest Sounds
What chords are in The Sweetest Sounds?
The loop is A7 – Dm – Gm – E7 (III7 – vi – ii – VII7) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is The Sweetest Sounds in?
F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in The Sweetest Sounds?
Toy-soldier march: lh triads (2/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Sweetest Sounds 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.