Piano chords · Bossa beach
How to play Stardust on piano
- D major
- 4/4
- 110 BPM
- 1928
- Medium
Learn Stardust in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Em7 – Em7 – Gm – D – F#m7 – B7
Stardust sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Em7 is E, G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; F#m7 is F#, A, C# and E; B7 is B, D#, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmivEm7ii7Em7ii7GmivDIF#m7iii7B7VI7- GmG · Bb · D
- Em7E · G · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- F#m7F# · A · C# · E
- B7B · D# · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Lazy seesaw
A low note, a higher one, a gap, then the higher one again. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-5 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 520 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Sunrise
Three notes keep climbing in quick loops, bright like the morning sun. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 110 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: G – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Stardust
What chords are in Stardust?
The loop is Gm – Em7 – Em7 – Gm – D – F#m7 – B7 (iv – ii7 – iv – I – iii7 – VI7 – iv) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Stardust in?
D major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Stardust?
Lazy seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Stardust easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Stardust?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.