Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Golden Slumbers on piano
By The Beatles
- A minor
- 4/4
- 65 BPM
- 1969
- Medium
Learn Golden Slumbers in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm7 – Dm7 – Dm7 – G7
Golden Slumbers sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm7 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.
Dm7iv7Dm7iv7Dm7iv7G7VII7- Dm7D · F · A · C
- G7G · B · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Giant steps
A full chord on every beat, low and heavy, like a giant walking. Musicians call it lh chords (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Twinkle
Two notes twinkling back and forth. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 65 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: F – G – Am
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
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Questions about Golden Slumbers
What chords are in Golden Slumbers?
The loop is Dm7 – Dm7 – Dm7 – G7 (iv7 – VII7 – iv7 – VII7) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is Golden Slumbers in?
A minor, at about 65 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Golden Slumbers?
Giant steps: lh chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Golden Slumbers 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.
Can I hear the real melody of Golden Slumbers?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.