Piano chords · Classical salon
How to play Ave Maria on piano
By Charles Gounod
- C major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- Medium
Learn Ave Maria in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Am – D – G
Ave Maria sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Am is A, C and E; D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIAmviDIIGV- CC · E · G
- AmA · C · E
- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Little steps
Up the chord and back, one step at a time. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5-3 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 304 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rising light
Three notes climb again and again, starting just after the beat. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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: F – G7 – C
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FG7C- FF · A · C
- G7G · B · D · F
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Questions about Ave Maria
What chords are in Ave Maria?
The loop is C – Am – D – G (I – vi – II – V) in C major, and the song ends on F – G7 – C.
What key is Ave Maria in?
C major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Ave Maria?
Little steps: broken chord 1-3-5-3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ave Maria 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 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.