Piano chords · Film & wonder
How to play Nicholas And Alexandra on piano
By Richard Rodney Bennett
- G major
- 2/2
- 152 BPM
- 1971
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Nicholas And Alexandra in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – Em – Am – G
How it goes
Nicholas And Alexandra sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Em is E, G and B; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIEmviAmiiGI- GG · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- AmA · C · E
- 2
Left hand: Ocean swell
How it goes
Eight notes rise high and fall back down: one big ocean swell per bar. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12-10-8-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 80 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hopscotch chords
How it goes
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 152 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: Am – C – G
How it goes
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AmCG- CC · E · G
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Questions about Nicholas And Alexandra
What chords are in Nicholas And Alexandra?
The loop is G – Em – Am – G (I – vi – ii – I) in G major, and the song ends on Am – C – G.
What key is Nicholas And Alexandra in?
G major, at about 152 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Nicholas And Alexandra?
Ocean swell: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12-10-8-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Nicholas And Alexandra 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.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.