Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play Glass Onion on piano
By The Beatles
- A minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1968
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Glass Onion in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F7 – D7 – F7 – G7
How it goes
Glass Onion sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F7 is F, A, C and Eb; D7 is D, F#, A and C; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F7VI7D7IV7F7VI7G7VII7- F7F · A · C · Eb
- D7D · F# · A · C
- G7G · B · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Oom-pah
How it goes
A bass note, then three soft chords: oom, pah, pah, pah. Musicians call it bass + chords (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: F – G – Am
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- AmA · C · E
Play next
Questions about Glass Onion
What chords are in Glass Onion?
The loop is F7 – D7 – F7 – G7 (bVI7 – IV7 – bVI7 – bVII7) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is Glass Onion in?
A minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Glass Onion?
Oom-pah: bass + chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Glass Onion 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.