Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
Over The Rainbow: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Harold Arlen
- Eb major
- 2/2
- 100 BPM
- 1938
- Medium
Over The Rainbow written out as piano music: the I – vi – iii – IV – iii – iii7 loop in Eb major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays happy wiggle (broken chord 1-5-6-5) and the right hand rocking thirds.
Over The Rainbow chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in Eb major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eb | I | Eb G Bb |
| 1 | Cm | vi | C Eb G |
| 2 | Gm | iii | G Bb D |
| 3 | Ab | IV | Ab C Eb |
| 4 | Gm | iii | G Bb D |
| 4 | Gm7 | iii7 | G Bb D F |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: happy wiggle (broken chord 1-5-6-5) in the left hand and rocking thirds in the right, over the Eb – Cm – Gm – Ab – Gm – Gm7 chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
To see the real melody written out, play “The part you know”: the sheet music changes to it.
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Questions about Over The Rainbow
Does the sheet music for Over The Rainbow have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
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.
Made from 11 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.