Harbor Lights Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Harbor Lights in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: Bb7 – Fm – Bb7 – Eb
Harbor Lights sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; Fm is F, Ab and C; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Bb7V7FmiiBb7V7EbI
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- FmF · Ab · C
- EbEb · G · Bb
29 songs go round the same chords
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.
Rolling wavesOpen arpeggio · BalladLeft handMedium
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.
Heartbeat chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 100 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: Eb – Abm – Eb
The last chords are I – iv – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbAbmEb
- AbmAb · Cb · Eb

What chords are in Harbor Lights?

The loop is Bb7 – Fm – Bb7 – Eb (V7 – ii – V7 – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Abm – Eb.

What key is Harbor Lights in?

Eb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Harbor Lights?

Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Harbor Lights 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.