Piano chords · Film & wonder
How to play Beautiful Birds on piano
By Passenger
- B minor
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 2016
- Tricky
Learn Beautiful Birds in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bm – G – A – D
Beautiful Birds sits in B minor: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; G is G, B and D; A is A, C# and E; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmiGVIAVIIDIII- BmB · D · F#
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Big sweep
Two octaves in one sweep: the film-score sound. Musicians call it wide arpeggio 8-12-15-1-5-8 (wide arpeggio), a tricky pattern heard in 131 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
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 90 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: G – A – Bm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GABm
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Questions about Beautiful Birds
What chords are in Beautiful Birds?
The loop is Bm – G – A – D (i – bVI – bVII – bIII) in B minor, and the song ends on G – A – Bm.
What key is Beautiful Birds in?
B minor, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Beautiful Birds?
Big sweep: wide arpeggio 8-12-15-1-5-8, a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Beautiful Birds easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky 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.