Buenos Aires Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Buenos Aires in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bb – Eb – F – Bb
How it goes
Buenos Aires sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIEbIVFVBbI
- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
215 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Ping-pong bounce
How it goes
High, low, high, low on every beat: a ping-pong bounce. Musicians call it broken chord 8-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 302 songs of the library.
Ping-pong bounceBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Candle flicker
How it goes
Two low chord notes flicker back and forth, warm like candlelight. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Candle flickerTwo-note ostinato · BalladRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 100 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: Eb – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb

What chords are in Buenos Aires?

The loop is Bb – Eb – F – Bb (I – IV – V – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Buenos Aires in?

Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Buenos Aires?

Ping-pong bounce: broken chord 8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Buenos Aires 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.