Piano chords · Film & wonder
How to play Say Goodbye on piano
By Chris Brown
- A minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- Tricky
Learn Say Goodbye in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Am – G – Dm
Say Goodbye sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Am is A, C and E; G is G, B and D; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIIIAmiGVIIDmiv- CC · E · G
- AmA · C · E
- GG · B · D
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Big sweep
Two octaves in one sweep: the film-score sound. Musicians call it wide arpeggio 8-12-15-1-5-8 (wide arpeggio), a tricky pattern heard in 131 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
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 120 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: F – G – Am
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm- FF · A · C
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Questions about Say Goodbye
What chords are in Say Goodbye?
The loop is C – Am – G – Dm (bIII – i – bVII – iv) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is Say Goodbye in?
A minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Say Goodbye?
Big sweep: wide arpeggio 8-12-15-1-5-8, a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Say Goodbye 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.