Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Be Thou My Vision on piano
By Traditional Irish
- Eb major
- 3/4
- 120 BPM
- Medium
Learn Be Thou My Vision in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Ab – Bbsus4 – Eb
Be Thou My Vision sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Bbsus4 is Bb, Eb and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmviAbIVBbsus4Vsus4EbI- CmC · Eb · G
- AbAb · C · Eb
- Bbsus4Bb · Eb · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Moon River roll
A wide, flowing roll in three, the Moon River feel. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (3/4) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 441 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Be Thou My Vision
What chords are in Be Thou My Vision?
The loop is Cm – Ab – Bbsus4 – Eb (vi – IV – Vsus – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Be Thou My Vision in?
Eb major, at about 120 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Be Thou My Vision?
Moon River roll: open arpeggio 1-5-10 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Be Thou My Vision 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.