Piano chords · Waltz garden

How to play Polaroid on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Polaroid in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: A – F#m – B7 – E
How it goes
Polaroid sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; F#m is F#, A and C#; B7 is B, D#, F# and A; E is E, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIVF#miiB7V7EI
- AA · C# · E
- F#mF# · A · C#
- B7B · D# · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
13 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Serenade shimmer
How it goes
One deep bass, then soft chords pulsing quickly above it, like a serenade. Musicians call it bass + chords (3/4) (stride & boom-chick), a tricky pattern heard in 26 songs of the library.
Serenade shimmerStride & boom-chick · WaltzLeft handTricky
3
Right hand: Waltzing clock
How it goes
One note ticking six times per waltz bar, light and even. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Waltzing clockRepeated-note pulse · WaltzRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 90 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#m – B7 – E
How it goes
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
F#mB7E

What chords are in Polaroid?

The loop is A – F#m – B7 – E (IV – ii – V7 – I) in E major, and the song ends on F#m – B7 – E.

What key is Polaroid in?

E major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Polaroid?

Serenade shimmer: bass + chords (3/4), a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Polaroid easy to play on piano?

It is a tricky 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.