Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Morning Has Broken on piano
By Cat Stevens
- C major
- 3/4
- 135 BPM
- 1971
- Medium
Learn Morning Has Broken in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – G – A – F#
Morning Has Broken sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D; A is A, C# and E; F# is F#, A# and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIIGVAVIF##IV- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
- F#F# · A# · C#
- 2
Left hand: Waltz rocking
Three quick notes up to the top, then one long note back down. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (3/4) (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 70 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Waltz bells
A single high note, then two chords: ding, dong, dong in three. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 135 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: F – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Morning Has Broken
What chords are in Morning Has Broken?
The loop is D – G – A – F# (II – V – VI – #IV) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Morning Has Broken in?
C major, at about 135 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Morning Has Broken?
Waltz rocking: broken chord 1-5-8-5 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Morning Has Broken 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.
Can I hear the real melody of Morning Has Broken?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.