Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Ballad Of Billy The Kid on piano
Written by Billy Joel
- G major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- 1972
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Ballad Of Billy The Kid in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – Em – F – C
How it goes
Ballad Of Billy The Kid sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Em is E, G and B; F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIEmviFbVIICIV- GG · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Galloping heartbeat
How it goes
Ta-DUM, ta-DUM: quick pickups into beats 2 and 4, like hooves. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 115 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Swing push
How it goes
Three chords tumble out early with a swing, then the bar breathes. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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: C – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Ballad Of Billy The Kid
What chords are in Ballad Of Billy The Kid?
The loop is G – Em – F – C (I – vi – bVII – IV) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Ballad Of Billy The Kid in?
G major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Ballad Of Billy The Kid?
Galloping heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ballad Of Billy The Kid 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.