Time Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Time in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – Dm – G7 – C
Time sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Dm is D, F and A; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIDmiiG7V7CI
- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- G7G · B · D · F
169 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Moon River roll
A wide, flowing roll in three, the Moon River feel. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (3/4) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 441 songs of the library.
Moon River rollOpen arpeggio · WaltzLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Waltz bells
A single high note, then two chords: ding, dong, dong in three. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Waltz bellsBlock chords · WaltzRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 135 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: C – Dm – C
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDmC

What chords are in Time?

The loop is C – Dm – G7 – C (I – ii – V7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – Dm – C.

What key is Time in?

C major, at about 135 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in Time?

Moon River roll: open arpeggio 1-5-10 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is 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.