Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play The Air That I Breathe on piano
Written by Albert Hammond & Michael Hazelwood
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 1972
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Air That I Breathe in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ebm – Bb – F – Bb
How it goes
The Air That I Breathe sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ebm is Eb, Gb 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.
EbmivBbIFVBbI- EbmEb · Gb · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
How it goes
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Wait-a-beat chords
How it goes
Silence on beat 1, then chords on 2, 3 and 4, leaving room for the bass. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: Bb – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbFBb
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Questions about The Air That I Breathe
What chords are in The Air That I Breathe?
The loop is Ebm – Bb – F – Bb (iv – I – V – I) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – F – Bb.
What key is The Air That I Breathe in?
Bb major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Air That I Breathe?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Air That I Breathe 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.