Over The Rainbow Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Over The Rainbow in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Eb – Cm – Gm – Ab – Gm – Gm7
Over The Rainbow sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Cm is C, Eb and G; Gm is G, Bb and D; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Gm7 is G, Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbICmviGmiiiAbIVGmiiiGm7iii7
- EbEb · G · Bb
- CmC · Eb · G
- GmG · Bb · D
- AbAb · C · Eb
- Gm7G · Bb · D · F
169 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Happy wiggle
Root, fifth, a step up and back: a cheerful bluesy wiggle. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-6-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 165 songs of the library.
Happy wiggleBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Rocking thirds
Two neighbouring chord notes rocking back and forth, soft and sweet. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Rocking thirdsTwo-note ostinato · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 100 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: Fm – Bb7 – Eb
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FmBb7Eb
- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab

What chords are in Over The Rainbow?

The loop is Eb – Cm – Gm – Ab – Gm – Gm7 (I – vi – iii – IV – iii – iii7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Fm – Bb7 – Eb.

What key is Over The Rainbow in?

Eb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Over The Rainbow?

Happy wiggle: broken chord 1-5-6-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Over The Rainbow 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 Over The Rainbow?

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