Piano chords · Classical salon
How to play Pipeline on piano
By The Chantays
- E minor
- 2/2
- 160 BPM
- 1962
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Pipeline in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – Am – B – C
How it goes
Pipeline sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; Am is A, C and E; B is B, D# and F#; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiAmivBVCVI- EmE · G · B
- AmA · C · E
- BB · D# · F#
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Mozart murmur
How it goes
Low, high, middle, high, over and over: the Mozart murmur. Musicians call it alberti bass 1-5-3-5 (alberti bass), a medium pattern heard in 186 songs of the library.
- 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 160 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: C – D – Em
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Pipeline
What chords are in Pipeline?
The loop is Em – Am – B – C (i – iv – V – bVI) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Pipeline in?
E minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Pipeline?
Mozart murmur: alberti bass 1-5-3-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Pipeline 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.