Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play A Cool Shade Of Blue on piano

By Henry Mancini

  • Eb major
  • 4/4
  • 125 BPM
  • 1959
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Open skyThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn A Cool Shade Of Blue in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

  1. 1

    Chords: Db – Dbm – Gb7 – Cb

    How it goes

    A Cool Shade Of Blue sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Dbm is Db, Fb and Ab; Gb7 is Gb, Bb, Db and Fb; Cb is Cb, Eb and Gb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    DbbVIIDbmbviiGb7bIII7CbbVI
    • DbDb · F · Ab
    • DbmDb · Fb · Ab
    • Gb7Gb · Bb · Db · Fb
    • CbCb · Eb · Gb
  2. 2

    Left hand: Open sky

    How it goes

    Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: the chords, held

    How it goes

    In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 125 BPM

    How it goes

    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. 5

    Ending: Ab – Bb – Eb

    How it goes

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    AbBbEb
    • AbAb · C · Eb
    • BbBb · D · F
    • EbEb · G · Bb

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Questions about A Cool Shade Of Blue

What chords are in A Cool Shade Of Blue?

The loop is Db – Dbm – Gb7 – Cb (bVII – bvii – bIII7 – bVI) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.

What key is A Cool Shade Of Blue in?

Eb major, at about 125 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in A Cool Shade Of Blue?

Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is A Cool Shade Of Blue 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.