Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Air Balloon on piano
By Lily Allen
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 96 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- Medium
Learn Air Balloon in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Ab – Eb – Ab
Air Balloon sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIAbIVEbIAbIV- EbEb · G · Bb
- AbAb · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 96 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 Air Balloon
What chords are in Air Balloon?
The loop is Eb – Ab – Eb – Ab (I – IV – I – IV) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Air Balloon in?
Eb major, at about 96 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Air Balloon?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Air Balloon 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.