Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Waterfall on piano
Written by Chris Tomlin & Ed Cash
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 134 BPM
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Waterfall in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Ebsus4 – Bb – Cm
Waterfall sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Ebsus4 is Eb, Ab and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmviEbsus4IVsus4BbICmii- GmG · Bb · D
- Ebsus4Eb · Ab · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Hurrying footsteps
Calm steps in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 642 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-clap chords
Quick double claps on beats 2 and 4, leaving beats 1 and 3 empty. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 134 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: Eb – F – Bb
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
Play next
Questions about Waterfall
What chords are in Waterfall?
The loop is Gm – Ebsus4 – Bb – Cm (vi – IVsus – I – ii) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is Waterfall in?
Bb major, at about 134 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Waterfall?
Hurrying footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Waterfall 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.