Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Charmaine on piano
Written by Lew Pollack & Erno Rapee
- Eb major
- 3/4
- 80 BPM
- 1927
- Medium
Learn Charmaine in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F7 – Bb7 – Bb – Eb
Charmaine sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F7II7Bb7V7BbVEbI- F7F · A · C · Eb
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- BbBb · D · 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: Waltz chords
A chord on each of the three beats: a simple waltz. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about Charmaine
What chords are in Charmaine?
The loop is F7 – Bb7 – Bb – Eb (II7 – V7 – V – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Charmaine in?
Eb major, at about 80 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Charmaine?
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 Charmaine 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.