Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play White Rabbit on piano
Written by Grace Slick
- F# minor
- 4/4
- 110 BPM
- I–bII–I–bII loop
- 1966
- Medium
Learn White Rabbit in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F# – G – F# – G
White Rabbit sits in F# minor: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F# is F#, A# and C#; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F#IGbIIF#IGbII- F#F# · A# · C#
- GG · B · D
- 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: Late-knock chords
One chord, a long wait, then a quick knock-knock at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 110 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: D – E – F#m
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEF#m- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
- F#mF# · A · C#
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Questions about White Rabbit
What chords are in White Rabbit?
The loop is F# – G – F# – G (I – bII – I – bII) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.
What key is White Rabbit in?
F# minor, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in White Rabbit?
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 White Rabbit 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.