Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play A Cover Is Not The Book (from Mary Poppins Returns) on piano
By Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda & Company
- Db major
- 4/4
- 106 BPM
- I–ii–V7–I loop
- 2018
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn A Cover Is Not The Book (from Mary Poppins Returns) in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – Ebm – Ab7 – Db
How it goes
A Cover Is Not The Book (from Mary Poppins Returns) sits in Db major: Db is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; Ebm is Eb, Gb and Bb; Ab7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbIEbmiiAb7V7DbI- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbmEb · Gb · Bb
- Ab7Ab · C · Eb · Gb
- 2
Left hand: Hammock heartbeat
How it goes
Long-short, long-short: the low notes sway like a hammock. Musicians call it root bass · 6/8 lilt (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 128 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hammock chords
How it goes
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 106 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
Ending: Gb – Ab – Db
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbAbDb- GbGb · Bb · Db
- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about A Cover Is Not The Book (from Mary Poppins Returns)
What chords are in A Cover Is Not The Book (from Mary Poppins Returns)?
The loop is Db – Ebm – Ab7 – Db (I – ii – V7 – I) in Db major, and the song ends on Gb – Ab – Db.
What key is A Cover Is Not The Book (from Mary Poppins Returns) in?
Db major, at about 106 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in A Cover Is Not The Book (from Mary Poppins Returns)?
Hammock heartbeat: root bass · 6/8 lilt, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is A Cover Is Not The Book (from Mary Poppins Returns) 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.