Piano chords · Bossa beach
How to play Alabaster Box on piano
Artist unknown
- G major
- 4/4
- 84 BPM
- iv–I–iv–I loop
- Medium
Learn Alabaster Box in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – G – Cm – G
Alabaster Box sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmivGICmivGI- CmC · Eb · G
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Bossa sway
Long-short, long-short, leaning ahead: a gentle Brazilian sway. Musicians call it root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 84 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: C – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Alabaster Box
What chords are in Alabaster Box?
The loop is Cm – G – Cm – G (iv – I – iv – I) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Alabaster Box in?
G major, at about 84 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Alabaster Box?
Bossa sway: root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Alabaster Box 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.