Piano chords · Film & wonder
How to play Count Every Star on piano
By Sonny Stitt
- G major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- I–vi–ii–V7 loop
- 1950
- Tricky
Learn Count Every Star in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – Em – Am – D7
Count Every Star sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Em is E, G and B; Am is A, C and E; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIEmviAmiiD7V7- GG · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- AmA · C · E
- D7D · F# · A · C
- 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: Pausing chords
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. 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: Am – D7 – G
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AmD7G
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Questions about Count Every Star
What chords are in Count Every Star?
The loop is G – Em – Am – D7 (I – vi – ii – V7) in G major, and the song ends on Am – D7 – G.
What key is Count Every Star in?
G major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Count Every Star?
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 Count Every Star 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.