Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Moonlight Serenade on piano
Written by Glenn Miller
- F major
- 2/2
- 90 BPM
- 1939
- Medium
Learn Moonlight Serenade in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm7 – F – Bb7 – Db7 – Gm – C – C7
Moonlight Serenade sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: Dm7 is D, F, A and C; F is F, A and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; Db7 is Db, F, Ab and Cb; Gm is G, Bb and D; C is C, E and G; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Dm7vi7FIBb7IV7Db7bVI7GmiiCVC7V7- Dm7D · F · A · C
- FF · A · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- Db7Db · F · Ab · Cb
- GmG · Bb · D
- CC · E · G
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Open sky
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.
- 3
Right hand: Hopscotch chords
Chord, chord, skip beat 3, chord: hopping over a square. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 90 BPM
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: G7 – C7 – F
The last chords are II7 – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
G7C7F- G7G · B · D · F
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Questions about Moonlight Serenade
What chords are in Moonlight Serenade?
The loop is Dm7 – F – Bb7 – Db7 – Gm – C – C7 (vi7 – I – IV7 – bVI7 – ii – V – V7) in F major, and the song ends on G7 – C7 – F.
What key is Moonlight Serenade in?
F major, at about 90 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Moonlight Serenade?
Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Moonlight Serenade easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Moonlight Serenade?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.