Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play 6th Avenue on piano
By Gary Barlow
- G minor
- 6/8
- 81 BPM
- 2013
- Medium
Learn 6th Avenue in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Am – F – C
6th Avenue sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Am is A, C and E; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIVAmiiFVIICIV- CC · E · G
- AmA · C · E
- 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: Cradle chords
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 81 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 – Gm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFGm- EbEb · G · Bb
- GmG · Bb · D
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Questions about 6th Avenue
What chords are in 6th Avenue?
The loop is C – Am – F – C (IV – ii – bVII – IV) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.
What key is 6th Avenue in?
G minor, at about 81 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in 6th Avenue?
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 6th Avenue 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.