Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Chiquitita on piano
Written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus & others
- A major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- 1979
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Chiquitita in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – D – E – E7
How it goes
Chiquitita sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; D is D, F# and A; E7 is E, G#, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EVDIVEVE7V7- EE · G# · B
- DD · F# · A
- E7E · G# · B · D
- 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.
- 3
Right hand: Rising bubbles
How it goes
Three notes float up again and again, each time starting just off the beat. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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: D – E – A
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Chiquitita
What chords are in Chiquitita?
The loop is E – D – E – E7 (V – IV – V – V7) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is Chiquitita in?
A major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Chiquitita?
Ping-pong bounce: broken chord 8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Chiquitita 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.