Starman Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Starman in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Eb – Bb – F – Bb
Starman sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIVBbIFVBbI
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
66 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Double-skip chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 100 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: Bb – F – Bb
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbFBb

What chords are in Starman?

The loop is Eb – Bb – F – Bb (IV – I – V – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – F – Bb.

What key is Starman in?

Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Starman?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Starman 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.