Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play It’s Not Where You Start on piano
Written by Cy Coleman
- C major
- 6/8
- 99 BPM
- 1973
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn It’s Not Where You Start in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – C – Em – C
How it goes
It’s Not Where You Start sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiiiCIEmiiiCI- EmE · G · B
- CC · E · G
- 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: Pendulum swing
How it goes
One note ticking on every quick beat, rocking in two big swings. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 99 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: C – F – C
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CFC- FF · A · C
Play next
Questions about It’s Not Where You Start
What chords are in It’s Not Where You Start?
The loop is Em – C – Em – C (iii – I – iii – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – F – C.
What key is It’s Not Where You Start in?
C major, at about 99 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in It’s Not Where You Start?
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 It’s Not Where You Start 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.