Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play La Isla Bonita on piano
By Madonna
- C# minor
- 2/2
- 160 BPM
- 1986
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn La Isla Bonita in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C#m – A – E – B
How it goes
La Isla Bonita sits in C# minor: C# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C#m is C#, E and G#; A is A, C# and E; E is E, G# and B; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C#miAVIEIIIBVII- C#mC# · E · G#
- AA · C# · E
- EE · G# · B
- BB · D# · F#
- 2
Left hand: Splashing wave
How it goes
Two low notes, then a splash up high, in the three-three-two rhythm. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-3-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 26 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pop stabs
How it goes
Chord stabs in the 3-3-2 pop rhythm. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: A – B – C#m
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABC#m
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Questions about La Isla Bonita
What chords are in La Isla Bonita?
The loop is C#m – A – E – B (i – VI – III – VII) in C# minor, and the song ends on A – B – C#m.
What key is La Isla Bonita in?
C# minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in La Isla Bonita?
Splashing wave: open arpeggio 1-3-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is La Isla Bonita 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.