Piano chords · Lullaby boat

How to play Pink Elephants On Parade on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Pink Elephants On Parade in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Am – F7 – Am – F7
How it goes
Pink Elephants On Parade sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; F7 is F, A, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiF7VI7AmiF7VI7
- AmA · C · E
- F7F · A · C · Eb
2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
How it goes
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
Swelling 6/8Open arpeggio · LullabyLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
4
Both hands at 150 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: F – G – Am
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D

What chords are in Pink Elephants On Parade?

The loop is Am – F7 – Am – F7 (i – bVI7 – i – bVI7) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.

What key is Pink Elephants On Parade in?

A minor, at about 150 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in Pink Elephants On Parade?

Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Pink Elephants On Parade 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.