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: Gm – Eb – Bb – F
Time sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmviEbIVBbIFV
- GmG · Bb · D
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
176 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Waltz roots
One low note on each of the three beats: a simple waltz floor. Musicians call it root bass · 3/4 quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 391 songs of the library.
Waltz rootsRoot bass rhythm · WaltzLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Chattering waltz
After the first beat, quick chords and notes chatter to the end of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Chattering waltzSyncopated chords · WaltzRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 125 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: Gm – Eb – Bb
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GmEbBb

What chords are in Time?

The loop is Gm – Eb – Bb – F (vi – IV – I – V) in Bb major, and the song ends on Gm – Eb – Bb.

What key is Time in?

Bb major, at about 125 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in Time?

Waltz roots: root bass · 3/4 quarters, an easy 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.