Piano chords · Lullaby boat

How to play Babel on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Babel in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: G – D – G – D
Babel sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIVDIGIVDI
- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
384 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Hammock heartbeat
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.
Hammock heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · LullabyLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Pendulum swing
One note ticking on every quick beat, rocking in two big swings. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pendulum swingRepeated-note pulse · LullabyRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 128 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: D – Em – D
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEmD
- EmE · G · B

What chords are in Babel?

The loop is G – D – G – D (IV – I – IV – I) in D major, and the song ends on D – Em – D.

What key is Babel in?

D major, at about 128 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in Babel?

Hammock heartbeat: root bass · 6/8 lilt, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Babel 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.