Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Empty Chairs on piano
Written by Don McLean
- G major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 1971
- Medium
Learn Empty Chairs in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – C – D7 – G
Empty Chairs sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; C is C, E and G; D7 is D, F#, A and C; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiiCIVD7V7GI- AmA · C · E
- CC · E · G
- D7D · F# · A · C
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Lub-dub chords
Two quick chords, a pause, two quick chords: just like a heartbeat. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 90 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: G – C – G
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GCG
Play next
Questions about Empty Chairs
What chords are in Empty Chairs?
The loop is Am – C – D7 – G (ii – IV – V7 – I) in G major, and the song ends on G – C – G.
What key is Empty Chairs in?
G major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Empty Chairs?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Empty Chairs 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.