Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Flamingo on piano
Written by Ted Grouya
- F major
- 2/2
- 80 BPM
- ii–V7–I–ii loop
- 1941
- Medium
Learn Flamingo in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – C7 – F – Gm
Flamingo sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmiiC7V7FIGmii- GmG · Bb · D
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Open sky
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Heartbeat chords
Long, short, long: chords on the pop heartbeat, then a rest. 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: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Flamingo
What chords are in Flamingo?
The loop is Gm – C7 – F – Gm (ii – V7 – I – ii) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Flamingo in?
F major, at about 80 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Flamingo?
Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Flamingo 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.