Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Arthur’s Theme on piano
Written by Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager & others
- A major
- 2/2
- 100 BPM
- 1981
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Arthur’s Theme in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – G7 – C – F
How it goes
Arthur’s Theme sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmivG7bVII7CbIIIFbVI- DmD · F · A
- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- 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
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Bm – D – A
How it goes
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BmDA- BmB · D · F#
- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Arthur’s Theme
What chords are in Arthur’s Theme?
The loop is Dm – G7 – C – F (iv – bVII7 – bIII – bVI) in A major, and the song ends on Bm – D – A.
What key is Arthur’s Theme in?
A major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Arthur’s Theme?
Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Arthur’s Theme 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.