Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Try To Remember on piano
Written by Harvey Schmidt
- F major
- 3/4
- 96 BPM
- I–IV–V7–I loop
- 1960
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Try To Remember in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Bb – C7 – F
How it goes
Try To Remember sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIBbIVC7V7FI- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Waltz stride
How it goes
A deep bass, a chord above, then the octave: a leaping waltz. Musicians call it stride (3/4) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 215 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Waltz push chords
How it goes
Chord, a push before beat 3, then the landing: a waltz with a nudge. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 96 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 – C7 – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbC7F
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Questions about Try To Remember
What chords are in Try To Remember?
The loop is F – Bb – C7 – F (I – IV – V7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C7 – F.
What key is Try To Remember in?
F major, at about 96 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Try To Remember?
Waltz stride: stride (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Try To Remember 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.