Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Si, Maman Si on piano
By France Gall
- C minor
- 4/4
- 116 BPM
- V7–i–V7–i loop
- Medium
Learn Si, Maman Si in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G7 – Cm – G7 – Cm
Si, Maman Si sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7V7CmiG7V7Cmi- G7G · B · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Stair steps
Three notes climb up the chord in the island rhythm. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 438 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rising light
Three notes climb again and again, starting just after the beat. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 116 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: Ab – Bb – Cm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Si, Maman Si
What chords are in Si, Maman Si?
The loop is G7 – Cm – G7 – Cm (V7 – i – V7 – i) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is Si, Maman Si in?
C minor, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Si, Maman Si?
Stair steps: broken chord 1-3-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Si, Maman Si 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.