Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play Lovely on piano

By Khalid Robinson, Finneas Baird O’Connell and Billie Eilish

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Lovely in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – Am7 – D – Em – Bm
How it goes
Lovely sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: C is C, E and G; Am7 is A, C, E and G; D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIVAm7ii7DVEmviBmiii
- CC · E · G
- Am7A · C · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
- BmB · D · F#
2
Left hand: Busy rocking
How it goes
A low root, then quick notes rocking between two higher keys. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5 (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 200 songs of the library.
Busy rockingBroken chord · BalladLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Rocking thirds
How it goes
Two neighbouring chord notes rocking back and forth, soft and sweet. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Rocking thirdsTwo-note ostinato · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 115 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 – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG
- GG · B · D

What chords are in Lovely?

The loop is C – Am7 – D – Em – Bm (IV – ii7 – V – vi – iii) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Lovely in?

G major, at about 115 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Lovely?

Busy rocking: broken chord 1-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Lovely easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Lovely?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.