Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play We Saw The Sea on piano
Written by Irving Berlin
- F major
- 6/8
- 120 BPM
- V7–I–V7–I loop
- 1936
- Medium
Learn We Saw The Sea in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C7 – F – C7 – F
We Saw The Sea sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C7V7FIC7V7FI- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hammock chords
Long-short, long-short: soft chords sway like a hammock. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: G7 – C7 – F
The last chords are II7 – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
G7C7F- G7G · B · D · F
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Questions about We Saw The Sea
What chords are in We Saw The Sea?
The loop is C7 – F – C7 – F (V7 – I – V7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on G7 – C7 – F.
What key is We Saw The Sea in?
F major, at about 120 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in We Saw The Sea?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is We Saw The Sea 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.