Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play The Second Star To The Right on piano
By Sammy Cahn
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 1951
- Medium
Learn The Second Star To The Right in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G7 – Cm – Gm – Fm – Bb7
The Second Star To The Right sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; Cm is C, Eb and G; Gm is G, Bb and D; Fm is F, Ab and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7III7CmviGmiiiFmiiBb7V7- G7G · B · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- GmG · Bb · D
- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Oom-pah
A bass note, then three soft chords: oom, pah, pah, pah. Musicians call it bass + chords (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Dewdrop twinkle
Two low, close notes twinkling up and back like morning dew. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 90 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: Fm – Bb7 – Eb
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FmBb7Eb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about The Second Star To The Right
What chords are in The Second Star To The Right?
The loop is G7 – Cm – Gm – Fm – Bb7 (III7 – vi – iii – ii – V7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Fm – Bb7 – Eb.
What key is The Second Star To The Right in?
Eb major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Second Star To The Right?
Oom-pah: bass + chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Second Star To The Right easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of The Second Star To The Right?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part 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.