Piano chords · Waltz garden

How to play Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G – C – D – G – C – D
How it goes
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: G is G, B and D; C is C, E and G; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GICIVDVGICIVDV
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
100 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Moon River roll
How it goes
A wide, flowing roll in three, the Moon River feel. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (3/4) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 441 songs of the library.
Moon River rollOpen arpeggio · WaltzLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Waltz chords
How it goes
A chord on each of the three beats: a simple waltz. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Waltz chordsBlock chords · WaltzRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 100 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

What chords are in Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds?

The loop is G – C – D – G – C – D (I – IV – V – I – IV – V) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds in?

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

What does the left hand play in Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds?

Moon River roll: open arpeggio 1-5-10 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds?

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

Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.