Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play White Flag on piano
By Chris Tomlin
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 82 BPM
- 2012
- Medium
Learn White Flag in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Ab – Eb – Bbsus4
White Flag sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bbsus4 is Bb, Eb and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmviAbIVEbIBbsus4Vsus4- CmC · Eb · G
- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- Bbsus4Bb · Eb · F
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Bossa chords
Long-short, long-short, leaning ahead: soft Brazilian chords. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 82 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about White Flag
What chords are in White Flag?
The loop is Cm – Ab – Eb – Bbsus4 (vi – IV – I – Vsus) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is White Flag in?
Eb major, at about 82 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in White Flag?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is White Flag 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.