Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Follow The Yellow Brick Road on piano
By Harold Arlen
- Bb major
- 6/8
- 100 BPM
- I–vi–ii–V7 loop
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Follow The Yellow Brick Road in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Gm – Cm – F7
How it goes
Follow The Yellow Brick Road sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Gm is G, Bb and D; Cm is C, Eb and G; F7 is F, A, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIGmviCmiiF7V7- BbBb · D · F
- GmG · Bb · D
- CmC · Eb · G
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
How it goes
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Bb – F7 – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are I – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbF7Bb
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Questions about Follow The Yellow Brick Road
What chords are in Follow The Yellow Brick Road?
The loop is Bb – Gm – Cm – F7 (I – vi – ii – V7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – F7 – Bb.
What key is Follow The Yellow Brick Road in?
Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Follow The Yellow Brick Road?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Follow The Yellow Brick Road 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.