Big Red Plane Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Big Red Plane in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: B – E – A – B
Big Red Plane sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: B is B, D# and F#; E is E, G# and B; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BVEIAIVBV
- BB · D# · F#
- EE · G# · B
- AA · C# · E
87 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Stair steps
Three notes climb up the chord in the island rhythm. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 438 songs of the library.
Stair stepsBroken chord · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pumping chordsPumping 8ths · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 160 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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE

What chords are in Big Red Plane?

The loop is B – E – A – B (V – I – IV – V) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.

What key is Big Red Plane in?

E major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Big Red Plane?

Stair steps: broken chord 1-3-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Big Red Plane 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.