Minstrels (Night Part 3) Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Minstrels (Night Part 3) in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Am – Dm – Am – Dm
How it goes
Minstrels (Night Part 3) sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviDmiiAmviDmii
- AmA · C · E
- DmD · F · A
40 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Open sky
How it goes
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
Open skyOpen arpeggio · BalladLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
4
Both hands at 110 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G

What chords are in Minstrels (Night Part 3)?

The loop is Am – Dm – Am – Dm (vi – ii – vi – ii) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Minstrels (Night Part 3) in?

C major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Minstrels (Night Part 3)?

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

Is Minstrels (Night Part 3) 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.